[OS X TeX] gtamacfonts ligatures: PDF searchability

[William Adams]

On Mar 28, 2006, at 3:07 PM, Gilles Pérez-Lambert wrote:

> Er, I don't understand something here. You say "for use in and within
> Mac OS X" and that TeX is not bundled with OS X. So, if a program is
> not installed by OS X, it should not use the fonts. Or, to be more
> precise if I understand you in the thread, it a program does not use
> OS X's way of reading fonts... I do not agree at all. TeX (not
> restricted to XeTeX) *is* using OS X.

The fonts are there to be used w/in Mac OS X, using API calls ---  
XeTeX is an example of how one can do this w/o converting the fonts.

> What is controversial is the Apple Licence which says not to copy or
> decompile the sofware (therefore fonts). Is reading a dfont
> decompiling or even copying? I'd like one day to have official words
> from Apple. Dfont is just a way to wrap ttf data, no more, no less. I
> tried to follow all the historical threads of these list archives but
> I may have not found Apple words on that specific matter.

I've posted the relevant bits of Apple's license here in the past ---  
I'd suggest reviewing it w/ a lawyer if you don't believe me.

Do you have some other explanation of why Windows/PC and OS/2 tables  
are removed from more recent versions of Apple fonts than that Apple  
wants people to abide by the font license?

> By the way, I found quite strange to ask someone to pay twice for a
> font one already paid with the system. It's not "unfair" use. I know
> fonts are to be paid (and I pay for them) but I don't want to pay
> twice for them just to have them packaged (pfa, pfb, ttf, otf...)
> differently.

Try that argument w/ a bookstore after you've purchased the hard- 
cover and want a paperback copy to take w/ you to read when  
travelling (I doubt Amazon would replace my water-damaged copies of  
_Digital Typography_ or _TeX Unbound_ or _Elements of Typographic  
Style_ either), or w/ a software vendor which makes separate Mac and  
Windows versions (or Linux) of a program and _chooses_ to license  
them separately. Turn it around --- Adobe never offered me any sort  
of up-grade offer for the copy of Adobe Garamond and Expert Set I  
bought back in 1989.

If Jonathan Hoefler, (or Linotype) wanted to license Type 1 versions  
of their fonts freely to people who've purchased Mac OS X, the could  
if they so choose --- they don't however, and it's wrong to take that  
choice away from them.

Linotype at least very graciously offers an up-grade (including _two_  
different versions, one specifically for Mac OS X compatibility) of  
Zapfino, so I think it's reprehensible to not accept such.

William

-- 
William Adams
senior graphic designer
Fry Communications



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