3 ms·

> I would not trust an open source process to maintain a standard of quality. On what basis?

• fsloth 8y ago
  On a hunch. I may be wrong. It seems to me that a font, suitable for printing, is a niche product with a very old history of proprietary providers and craftsmen. It's this crafts aspect which makes the open sourcing a bit more difficult, IMO. I.e you need specialists to maintain a certain quality.
  • pbhjpbhj 8y ago
    And only rent-seeking craftsmen are capable of high quality work?
    • fsloth 8y ago
      The question is not quality, but predictability. Mickey Mouse is not a very good analog to a typeface. The analog to Mickey Mouse would be a letter in an alphabet - an abstract concept, that, never the less, is immediately recognizable. A typeface, then, is a specific set of instructions to a specific implementation of this abstract idea. I.e. with Mickey it might be a specification to a specific implementation of this character including the type of voice actor to use, how the character behaves specifically, how it moves, etc etc. I.e. a much more specific than just "It's mickey, it's ours, fuck off" type of obstruction of creativity. Like I said, I have no idea if foundries and their license fees are necessary, but at least their clients know how to source a specific high quality implementation of their typefaces.
  • antidesitter 8y ago
    A font doesn’t require continuous maintenance.
    • jrockway 8y ago
      I mean... sort of. It seems like hundreds of new emoji are added every few years. They do not draw themselves. Question is whether or not anyone cares.