Mozilla backs Web Open Font Format | The Coffeehouse

xgamer
Two Sides to Everything

http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/11/web-open-font-format-backed-by-mozilla-type-foundries.ars

So another one of the ideas/technologies introduced long back by MS finds place in other browsers but in a format different that used by MS ... eOT become ZOT / WOFF ...

When news like these appears I feel MS is like Xerox, not able to recognize and properly leverage technologies it creates (think AJAX, SOAP, .. so on )

Bill Hill one of the proponents of Web Font Embedding will be surely missed in Microsoft.

stevo_
Human after all

I think the problem is that making a standard isnt as simple as building it and implementing it in your browser, you really need to commit stupid amounts of time to get a standards body involved and let your idea 'go', and hope that it doesnt get ripped apart / nerfed too much, and actually even makes the journey.

But it is insane how little credit microsoft gets for work its done.

figuerres
???

the key is for enough type makers to support it so that all the major browser makers will support it. then we have a standard by way of acceptance.

and yes no one in the article seems to give any credits or mention of how long MSFT has been working on this.

W3bbo
The Master of Baiters

In reply to figuerres

#Nov 3rd @ 7:38 AM

Type foundries aren't keen on fonts-for-the-web because that means distributing the whole font file to untrusted clients (Flash and PDF solves this by only exporting the subset of the typeface that's actually used) where font piracy can conceivably happen (font piracy is a very real problem for foundaries, especially given the low value most users attach to a typeface (I certainly don't feel like paying the printed price for most typefaces for sale) so I'm curious as to how this will pan out.

Fortunately type houses are more forward-thinking than the music industry, but I'll hold my breath. Though I can see this being abused by lyrics websites (who are contractually obligied to "protect" lyrics) by for example using a font that implements Ceaser's cipher or a kind of one-time pad, thus copying and pasting lyrics from websites would be impossible since the actual text would only be revealed by using the right font.

CannotResolveSymbol
{insert caption here}

In reply to figuerres

#Nov 3rd @ 7:38 AM

Microsoft gets no credit because their solution (EOT) and it's associated software (WEFT) are essentially abadonware. WEFT doesn't run under modern versions of Windows, so to create an EOT file, you have to resort to third-party tools (there are a couple open-source utilities that can create EOT files).

figuerres
???

In reply to CannotResolveSymbol

#Nov 3rd @ 10:31 AM

@C.R.S before he left Microsoft Bill Hill spoke about a new spec that he was all for. it was targeted at beeing an open system that did not use WEFT and EOT. so yes that is dead. but that is not the last thing MSFT has done about Type on the web. the two specs the OP linked to sound like the same specs that Bill Hill refered to. so MSFT and the Mozilla folks are each doing almost the same things; possibly duplicating the same effort.

@W3bbo as i recall the spec that Bill Hill was recommending was like flash and sliverlight - to be able to use a subset of a typeface/font.

and yes the type makers / owners have to deal with the WWW / intenret world and we will have to see how they adapt.