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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 2023-12-27 3:19 am, Skef Iterum
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:1a29b310-0df5-4529-b60e-3d8890afcdf5@skef.org">
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<p>Some preliminary notes on an idea I'm looking info, starting
from this line of reasoning:</p>
<ol>
<li>My worry about using dmap for multi-language/region support
is that the solution is separate from the script/language
GSUB/GPOS mechanism. <b>Ideally we want fonts that support
different scripts and languages via the latter</b>, and
doing so while starting with different initial cmaps is a lot
of work and QA.</li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
<p>Do we? The langsys mechanism in OTL has proven to be unreliable
for coming up on thirty years, such that we now recommend to
clients having separate fonts for individual languages if
differences in glyph shape or behaviour are considered critical.
The chain of things that document creators and software need to
get right to ensure correct display of langsys-specific GSUB or
GPOS is too fragile to be reliable, while selecting a clearly
labeled font targeting a specific language is much more robust.
Hence, e.g. Tiro Devanagari Hindi, Tiro Devanagari Marathi, and
Tiro Devanagari Sanskrit.</p>
<p>We already make some TTCs with distinct cmap tables, and some
with distinct GSUB tables, so if I understand your proposal
correctly it is, like Peter’s DMAP proposal, a data and processing
efficiency measure, correct? A mechanism that does this at the
initial character-to-glyph mapping would seem to provide more
robust language-specific support.<br>
</p>
<p>JH<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
John Hudson
Tiro Typeworks Ltd <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.tiro.com">www.tiro.com</a>
Tiro Typeworks is physically located on islands
in the Salish Sea, on the traditional territory
of the Snuneymuxw and Penelakut First Nations.
__________
EMAIL HOUR
In the interests of productivity, I am only dealing
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between 4PM and 5PM. If you need to contact me more
urgently, please use other means.</pre>
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