Re: PostScript.

["Arlen P. Walker" <Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- COM>]

      TrueType is a Windows-proprietary thing.

Actually, TrueType is one of those rare instances of MS licensing (rather
than simply copying) a technology someone else invented.

In this case, TrueType was invented by Apple. The idea was that Adobe was
charging too high of a royalty for PS and for Type 1 fonts, so Apple would
save a lot of money if they invented their own format. MS licensed the
technology, and was going to build a TrueType interpreter for printers,
which would be licensed to printer manufacturers for less than Adobe
licensed PS.

As usual, MS found they couldn't write a reliable system, so the printer
idea never really took off (I think they got one manufacturer to try it, but
that's all). People apparently don't like resetting their printers as often
as they'll accept rebooting their machines. All we have is a PS-based
interpreter for TT fonts, written by Apple. (BTW, this interpreter is
included in the files created by a PS print driver, which is why you can
print a document with TT fonts to a file and give it to a PS-based service
bureau to print with no problem.)

Adobe's reaction to all this included making ATM for the Mac free (I don't
know if they did the same thing for the Windows version) as well as reducing
their royalties and opening up the Type 1 font specification. (There were
some parts of the Type 1 spec Adobe had kept hidden, which made its fonts
print faster and scale better than competitors.) There was some talk of
Adobe working with Apple to embed Type 1 font rendering into Apple's OS, but
that hasn't yet materialized.

So, while TT never became a PS replacement, it *did* solve the problems it
was created to address. Just not in the way its creators hoped for. I like
the technology (at least those fonts that have been done well). It seems
more capable of rendering light, airy fonts than PS. But then, like all art,
that's just a matter of personal taste.

Have fun,
Arlen

arlen -dot- p -dot- walker -at- jci -dot- com
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