mjohnson@Apple.COM (Mark B. Johnson) (09/20/89)
APPLE , MICROSOFT ANNOUNCE CROSS-LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR
OUTLINE FONT TECHNOLOGY, PRINTER SOFTWARE
SAN FRANCISCO,CA--SEPTEMBER 19, 1989--Apple Computer, Inc.
and Microsoft Corporation today announced a cross-license
agreement for outline font technology and printer software
to be standard across the Apple Macintosh and Microsoft OS/2
Presentation Manager platforms. Microsoft will license
Apple's outline font technology for inclusion in future
versions of Microsoft OS/2 Presentation Manager. Apple will
license printer software from Microsoft for implementation
in future versions of the Apple LaserWriter printer. The
Microsoft printer software incorporates the Apple font format.
Apple's outline font technology was announced in May, 1989,
to significantly improve the quality and flexibility of font
support for the Macintosh. Now Microsoft will bring this same
open font format to OS/2 Presentation Manager, allowing the
easy exchange of rich text documents between these two
desktop platforms.
"Apple's innovative image font technology is emerging as
the foundation for desktop computing in the 1990s," said John
Sculley, Apple's chairman and CEO. "Users can now take
advantage of this high-quality, standard printing and font
solution on the Macintosh and across other key computing
environments."
"Apple has really led the way in enhancing the use of
font technology in desktop platforms," said Bill Gates,
Microsoft Corporation chairman and CEO. "Our establishment
of a common font format and common printer software will bring
power, flexibility and standardization for screen and printer
output to the Macintosh and OS/2 Presentation Manager."
"Scalable font technology is an essential part of the
rich graphic environment that will characterize computing in
the 1990s," said Jonathan Seybold, president of Seybold
Publications and Seminars. "The agreement is probably the
most important development in the computer industry this
year."
Outline Font Technology
The outline font format is an open standard that all
hardware, software and font vendors can support. Nearly a
dozen leading type vendors and as many software developers
have already announced support for this font standard (see
attached list). Today's agreement between Apple and Microsoft
means that these type vendors will easily be able to support
both the Macintosh and OS/2 Presentation Manager.
Apple's font technology includes the specifications for
a powerful instruction set that controls characters for printing
or screen display at low resolution, while preserving excellent
quality at high resolution.
Outline fonts are mathematical descriptions of text
characters that allow the computer to accurately display text
at any size on any screen or printer. Bit-map fonts, widely
implemented in current screen output devices, are device-
specific and consequently cannot be easily displayed on
different devices without severe limitation on memory and
flexibility.
Advantages for Applications Software
The outline font format will make it easier for applications
to have high-quality output from either the Apple Macintosh or
OS/2 Presentation Manager. Now, users will be able to purchase
a single font library for both systems and be assured of the
type quality previously available only on dedicated typesetting
and publishing systems.
"Many people use WordPerfect to do high-end word processing
and desktop publishing on both OS/2 and Macintosh platforms and
require high-quality scalable fonts both on screen and in print,"
said Derrick Shadel, vice president of development, WordPerfect
Corporation. "We welcome standards like this that provide
consistency across these platforms and are open to a variety of
vendors."
Microsoft Printer Software Enables WYSIWYG Documents
A standard outline font format for screen output is one half
of the equation for high-quality document production. The
second half is the availability of standard printer software
that incorporates the same font format as used for screen
output. This printer software meets both these criteria.
The printer software is based on source code from Bauer
Enterprises of San Jose, California, acquired by Microsoft in
July 1989. It is compatible with Adobe PostScript printer
language and has enhancements for compatibility with OS/2 Presentation
Manager and Macintosh.
The new printer software provides a high-level description
of a page to a printer. It accepts input from the host system
and translates it into a series of commands describing which
pixels of the page to mark with ink.
With its support for the outline font format , the new
printer software enables creation of sharp text of any size or
font type on any printer that uses this software. As a result,
what the user sees on the screen is what prints on the page.
Microsoft will sublicense the printer software to third-
party OEMs. The Bauer Enterprises printer software was
previously licensed to many leading printer vendors, so
Microsoft anticipates that the new software will quickly
gain acceptance in the printer market.
Availability
The outline font technology announced today will be
incorporated into future versions of OS/2 Presentation
Manager and Apple Macintosh. Pricing and availability
will be announced at a later date.
Apple Computer, Inc. develops, manufactures, and
markets personal computer systems for use in business,
education, science and engineering, government and the home.
A recognized pioneer and innovator in the personal computer
industry, Apple does business in more than 85 countries.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ "MSFT") develops, markets
and supports a wide range of software for business and
professional use, including operating systems, languages
and application programs, as well as books, hardware and
CD-ROM products for the microcomputer marketplace.
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Microsoft, MS and the Microsoft logo are registered trademarks
of Microsoft Corporation.
Apple, Macintosh and LaserWriter are registered trademarks
of Apple Computer, Inc.
PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc.
Note: See attached for font vendor listing.
ATTACHMENT
FONT VENDORS ANNOUNCE SUPPORT FOR OUTLINE FONT FORMAT
The following leading type vendors have announced support
for the outline font standard adopted by both Apple Computer,
Inc. and Microsoft Corporation.
AGFA Compugraphic
Bigelow & Homes
Bitstream Inc.
Casady & Greene Inc.
International Typeface Corporation
Kingsley/ATF Type Corporation
Letraset USA
Linotype AG
Monotype Corporation
The Font Bureau, Inc.
URW of West Germany
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--
Mark B. Johnson AppleLink: mjohnson
Developer Technical Support domain: mjohnson@Apple.com
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