[tex-eplain] Is there a list of fonts usable by TeX alone, or aTeX command to return names?

[Laurence.Finston at gmx.net]

> I had even heard of "The Art of Computer Programming" in a vauge way, before I knew anything about TeX/LaTeX and Don Knuth, and I'm sure it covers much fascinating ground.

_The Art of Computer Programming_ is (currently) a work of three complete volumes and a fourth, partially completed volume on the mathematical analysis of algorithms.  It is one of the most important works on the subject of algorithms and a classic in the field of computer science.  More volumes are planned, as the field of algorithms has expanded a lot since Knuth started work on this several decades ago.

Knuth developed TeX and METAFONT because Addison-Wesley, his publisher, got rid of the Monotype typesetting machine they had used for the first volumes (or volume?) of TAOCP and Knuth was very disappointed with the appearance of the proofs for the volume that was due to be printed at that time.

TeX and METAFONT would have been enough to make another person's reputation, but to the best of my knowledge, for Knuth they were really more of a distraction from what he considers to be his real work, i.e., teaching and writing TAOCP.  This is unfortunate in a way, because TeX and METAFONT have been more or less left to fend for themselves, but that's the way it is.

I own the first three volumes but they are rather demanding works to read and I'm a programmer rather than a computer scientist, so I'm sorry to say that I will probably never read them.


> Gesendet: Mittwoch, 25. Oktober 2023 um 22:27 Uhr
> Von: terry.s at Safe-mail.net
> An: Laurence.Finston at gmx.net
> Betreff: Re: [tex-eplain] Is there a list of fonts usable by TeX alone,or aTeX command to return names?
>
> Re: fonts + Computer Modern.
>
> Indeed, fonts are subjective. And whether I like Computer Modern for everyday/screen use or not, I remain extraordinarily impressed by what Don Knuth achieved for the pure purpose of typesetting beautiful math and achieving better text justification/spacing, not to mention the TeX/LaTeX ecosystem that has evolved from that! DK is both a scientist and an artist. Fonts are and have always been one of the highest and most important art forms --- and still are in the computer world. (Fonts even beat whitespace for visual importance, in my opinion, but that's a close race. Would most book lovers agree?)
>
> I had even heard of "The Art of Computer Programming" in a vauge way, before I knew anything about TeX/LaTeX and Don Knuth, and I'm sure it covers much fascinating ground. Well, I've done very little in the last 10 days, so I'm going to get back to work. It's nice talking to you.
>
> Have a great day,
> Terry S.
>
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> From: Laurence.Finston at gmx.net
> Apparently from: tex-eplain-bounces+terry.s=safe-mail.net at tug.org
> To: tex-eplain TUG <tex-eplain at tug.org>
> Subject: Re: [tex-eplain] Is there a list of fonts usable by TeX alone,or aTeX command to return names?
> Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2023 17:19:10 +0200
>
> > > Computer Modern may be lovely in print, and superior for math, but it's horrible on the eyes on a computer screen.
> >
> > This is subjective.  I like the way it looks and I use it for displays, e.g., in my YouTube videos.  In fine typesetting, the individual fonts have different proportions at different type sizes.  This is the case for Computer Modern but it is not for the standard PostScript fonts.  They use a rather crude compromise:  They are designed to look okay at any reasonable magnification.  If the ascenders and descenders are too thin for a given application, I will sometimes use the bold extended fonts.
> >
> > I think it's really too bad that METAFONT is virtually obsolete as a tool for making fonts.  I think the concept behind METAFONT is superior and would use Computer Modern for that reason alone, even if I didn't like them as much.  Knuth never claimed to be a type designer and it's a shame that MF hasn't found acceptance among real type designers.  The CM fonts are also extremely well-documented, which I doubt can be said for most other computer-generated fonts.
> >
> > I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about using PostScript or other non-MF fonts with TeX except what's in the MetaPost, eplain and Kpathsea manuals.
>