[mpeg-OTspec] RE: font media types [1 Attachment] -- WOFF?

[Levantovsky, Vladimir]

I am also learning all this stuff as I plow ahead :)

WOFF was developed with the emphasis on being a container format for _any_ sfnt-based font, without being specific of a particular type of font that may be encapsulated in WOFF file. My understanding that the 'font-woff' MIME type is intended to be used to enable a browser to properly recognize the format of the resource to be able make a decision:
a) whether it is something that should be downloaded, and
b) whether it is capable to unwrap the file and retrieve a font packaged in WOFF.

It is assumed that the unwrapped font would then be processed by the underlying OS font rendering system, and you are right - there may be a case when a font contains data that is not understood by the given font engine. I don't know what would be the right way to deal with it, but this may be a good case for defining additional optional parameters that would provide further info on the type of payload inside WOFF container. (I will bring this up for WebFonts WG to discuss.)

Similarly, I can imagine that the same mechanism (i.e. optional parameters) could be used to define the type of layout tables a font may contain, e.g. to differentiate OT/TrueType font from AAT or Graphite.

If we decide this is needed, we could define an additional set of parameters later. This document is in the first stage of the amendment process, and can be modified if necessary. I wouldn't want us to make hectic decisions right on the spot because the editorial deadline is approaching, but we can continue this discussion and introduce further changes as the ballot comments. I will hold off the submission of the application to IANA until we are in agreement on how we would like to proceed.

Thank you and regards,
Vladimir


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bob Hallissy [mailto:bobh528 at yahoo.com]
> Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2011 4:02 PM
> To: Levantovsky, Vladimir
> Cc: mpeg-OTspec at yahoogroups.com; lemon at adobe.com; chris at w3.org;
> tabatkins at google.com; karsten.luecke at kltf.de; singer at apple.com
> Subject: Re: [mpeg-OTspec] RE: font media types [1 Attachment] -- WOFF?
> 
> On 2011-04-07  at 14:36  Levantovsky, Vladimir wrote:
> > WOFF format already has 'application/font-woff' defined as the MIME
> > type for it.
> 
> Apologies in advance for my ignorance about mime types.
> 
> So does "application/font-woff" have any mechanism to specify whether
> the woff package includes TTF or CFF outlines, or OT tables, etc?  If
> woff doesn't need that, are we sure "application/font-off" needs it? Or
> if OFF needs it, shouldn't WOFF need it? (and shouldn't we be taking
> the
> same approach?)
> 
> Bob
> 
> 
> 
>