[mpeg-OTspec] RE: font media types

[Levantovsky, Vladimir]

If we want to make sure that the media type definition stays as part of the current amendment, we need to update and finalize the text soon to be included in the next ISO draft. It doesn't mean that it can no longer be amended, and most likely it will be when and if new outline types and/or supported text layout mechanisms are introduced. I'd say that one such opportunity is going to be if SVG-in-OpenType proposal is accepted as a new work item.

Speaking of which - I am sure many of you have seen the email discussions conducted in parallel on OpenType and www-font (http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-font/2011JulSep/thread.html) lists. There have been different ideas proposed and discussed, and I believe that combining SVG outline descriptions (that can bring multi-colored and animated glyphs) with OpenType advanced layout features would be a valuable technology to explore. I'd like to ask you to get engaged in the informal discussions - the participation in the W3C www-font http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-font/ list is open to general public.

Thank you,
Vladimir


From: thomas.phinney at gmail.com [mailto:thomas.phinney at gmail.com] On Behalf Of Thomas Phinney
Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2011 5:08 PM
To: Levantovsky, Vladimir
Cc: David Singer; Bob Hallissy; mpeg-OTspec at yahoogroups.com; lemon at adobe.com; chris at w3.org; tabatkins at google.com; karsten.luecke at kltf.de
Subject: Re: [mpeg-OTspec] RE: font media types

On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 12:37 PM, Levantovsky, Vladimir <vladimir.levantovsky at monotypeimaging.com<mailto:vladimir.levantovsky at monotypeimaging.com>> wrote:


On Monday, May 02, 2011 11:14 AM I wrote:
>
> the alternative approach would be to define a single media
> type, e.g. "application/font-sfnt" with two sets of optional parameters
> like:
>
> 1) Name: Format
> Value: TTF, CFF
> 2) Name: Layout
> Value: OTF, AAT, SIL
>
> All, for the purposes of a straw poll only - please respond to this
> email with your preferred choice (I would specifically want to hear
> from those who proposed this activity)!
>

There was one positive response submitted by Thomas Phinney advocating for an alternative approach above, and suggesting to replace parameter name "Format" with "Outlines". In case there are no objections to the above (i.e. to changing the media type definitions to "application/font-sfnt" with two optional parameters "outlines" and "layout") - I will draft a contribution to WG11 suggesting this change and, pending the WG11 approval, we will be able to prepare and submit an application to IANA. If any of you do have objections, please respond to this email.

Thank you,
Vladimir
Perhaps we should make two things explicit in this proposal: (1) more values may be added to either parameter in the future, and (2) there may be multiple values for a single parameter. I'm thinking here of the SVG-in-OpenType-clothing proposal we have on the table on the OpenType and www-fonts lists.

Alternatively, we might want to wait until that proposal is resolved or further along, before making this submission, so as to include SVG outlines if needed.

Regards,

T

--
"Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone,
 somewhere, may be happy."
 -H.L. Mencken


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