prj@PM-PRJ.LCS.MIT.EDU.UUCP (01/28/87)
I recently purchased the Adobe music font (Sonata) for my personal use in producing music scores using Deluxe Music Construction Set and my own Vax based programs. When I received my "single printer" package it took some hard thinking to decide to keep it as I DON'T own a laser printer but was planning to print on a QMS PS printer at work or a Laserwriter available for $ per page printing at a local Apple dealer. The Adobe packaging, however, requires you to permanently initialize the font for a single individual printer (in my case; you can buy a "multiple printer" package for up to 5 printers for about twice the cost). The font info is obviously encrypted with the wired in serial number of the printer. This initialization process must take place on a Macintosh that is connected to the printer via an Appletalk network. When you're done you get a font file that can be downloaded from a Macintosh over Appletalk, or a text file that you can download however you want (e.g., by concatinating it in front of your postscript text when spooling on a Vax). I eventually decided that I wanted good quality music printing enough to initiallize it for one of the printers at work and to risk that printer being replaced or moved where I can't use it. It does produce very nice scores. My reason for sending this message is to let others know how the Adobe fonts work and to possibly stir up discussion on how else it might be done. Obviously completely unproctected distribution would be wonderful for the purchaser, but might be prohibitively expensive. It also seems somewhat reasonable that for customers that own their own printers (as most of Adobe's customers probably do) this mechanism may be reasonable. For a specialty font like Sonata, however, where individuals are buying other products (e.g., Deluxe Music Construction Set) because they are compatible with the font, there needs to be some other option. I have no problem with never using my copy of the font on more than one printer at a time, but Adobe can only take my word for that. Does anyone have any ideas on possible mechanisms? ---Paul Johnson
MACKAY@WARD.CS.WASHINGTON.EDU.UUCP (02/13/87)
Get in touch with Walter Hewlett, at 525 Middlefield Road. Menlo Park, CA. (No net address that I know of.) He has been collecting music software for quite a while and may have some ideas. Alternatively he will aalso be interested in what you are doing. Pierre MacKay TUG Site Coordinator for Unix Systems -------