[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

BaKoMa fonts





Sebastian asked some questions a while back on the pdftex list.

 LS> Leaving out Malyshev's BaKoMa fonts is not sensible for the
 > vast majority of users.   These fonts are decidedly the most
 > complete set of Type 1 fonts available in the Computer Modern
 > style, and they are not yet widely distributed. 

 SR> eh? which distribution does not include them?

I suspect that to get the one-and-only complete and up-to-date
version of the BaKoMa font collection is the one you get with
the shareware BaKoMa TeX. Prove me wrong! The version of the
BaKoMa fonts that Sergey and I have permission to distribute is
not up-to-date. But the fonts are easier to exploit than the
more compact version in BaKoMa TeX.

I believe that this (our) BaKoMa font collection is more
up-to-date than still other BaKoMa font distributions, but I
could be wrong.

So, yes, you can go and get a very useful edition of BaKoMa 
font collection at:

     ftp://topo.math.u-psud.fr/pub/tex/AcroDVI_alpha

One that is usable under just about any OS.  With pdftex. 
With dvipdfm.  Etc.

 LS> You get some
 > nice sidekick fonts too like the rsfs (script) and the
 > LamsTeX arrow fonts and the XY fonts.

 SR> these are not from Basil, surely?

They are.  Dated 1997.

 LS> Private use is free.
 > Publication of PDF files requires a $15 shareware fee to
 > Malyshev for individuals, and $100 for commercial publishers.

 SR> per document? per year? once? come on, this is unreal....

Welcome to the strange but very real world of shareware. I like
shareware because it gives talented young progammers the moral
and physical independence they deserve early, and with a
minimum of hassle. The remarkable thing is the degree of
product support they manage to provide.

As for the exact distribution conditions, always heed 
Malyshev's own copyright notices.

 SR> Basil Malyshev explicitly told me earlier this year
 > that the few BaKoMa fonts needed to fill the gaps
 > in the Blue Sky/Y&Y collection were complete freely
 > distributable and useable.

Interesting news, even as hearsay. Does it mean that Malyshev
has obtained outside financial support? Can you point to
written confirmation? Has such a free package been posted by
Malyshev?

 LS> Scientific elecronic publication is 98% CM. 

 SR> If you replace "scientific" with "mathematical academic",
 > maybe we could agree on 60%?

I should indeed  have specified "mathematical, academic, and freely
available" rather than just "scientific".  If you want to work up
some hard statistics for us, start with www.emis.de.

                 Cheers

                   Larry Siebenmann