richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) (02/27/88)
I propose a newsgroup on the topic of fonts.
Aesthetics, legal issues, "whats available", "where can I get it"
...that sort of stuff.
This is an official (well, as official as it gets) call for votes.
I will count votes EMAILED to me at one of the addresses below
starting today, February 26, 1987, and will collect votes for 30
days. If we get 100 more yes than no votes, it will be comp.fonts,
otherwise after the obligatory discussion, it will be alt.fonts.
If you see this message more than once, chalk it up to...uhh, experience.
Followups to the appropriate group; edit the newsgroups line.
--
"Each morning when I wake up to rise, I'm living in a dreamland"
richard@gryphon.CTS.COM
{ihnp4!scgvaxd!cadovax, rutgers!marque, codas!ddsw1} gryphon!richardhenry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (03/04/88)
> I propose a newsgroup on the topic of fonts.
Why?
Font discussions have cropped up before in comp.text and comp.laser-printers
(probably in comp.lang.postscript too, but I don't read it). There has never
been enough volume to justify a whole newsgroup.
No, creating the newsgroup will not magically create discussions in it.
This sounds plausible in theory but it doesn't work that way in practice.
Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
{allegra,ihnp4,decvax,pyramid}!utzoo!henry
--
Those who do not understand Unix are | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
condemned to reinvent it, poorly. | {allegra,ihnp4,decvax,utai}!utzoo!henrytrb@ima.ISC.COM (Andrew Tannenbaum) (03/05/88)
In article <1988Mar3.210010.4147@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: > No, creating the newsgroup will not magically create discussions in it. > This sounds plausible in theory but it doesn't work that way in practice. I find the repetition of this idea tiring. If you want to ask why, then do so. Just saying that "it sounds plausible in theory but doesn't work in practice" is a handwave. There is plenty of junk on the netwaves; font issues might not be immediately important to you, but they are plenty important to lots of people in our industry, and they're indirectly important to everyone who is reading this message. Here are some reasons for a fonts group: Until now, font management has been monopolized by font factories like ITC and AM Varityper (for instance). The little people were not allowed access to formats, and we were stuck with what was sold to us (or, more accurately, rammed up our bodily orifices in exchange for large sums of money). Now, the price of finer resolution (100-1500 dpi) output devices has left us with the problem of co-ordinating fonts for screens, laser printers, and other goofy devices, everything from plotters to routers to matrix printers to tv graphics boxes. Many/most manufacturers are still stuck in the dark ages, each with their own proprietary formats. If you tell them that you'd like to provide a uniform interface to the fonts in your products, they shrug their shoulders and dare you to try. There are internationalization issues, format standardization and conversion issues, discussions of available software, techniques, and works in progress. Many of these discussions don't fit in comp.text or comp.text.postscript. A netnews group would be a good forum to discuss this problem, whether or not uninterested parties think the discussion bloom at a rate that pleases them. I just hope we get enough votes. Andrew Tannenbaum Interactive Boston, MA +1 617 247 1155
henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (03/08/88)
> > No, creating the newsgroup will not magically create discussions in it. > > This sounds plausible in theory but it doesn't work that way in practice. > > I find the repetition of this idea tiring. If you want to ask why, > then do so. Just saying that "it sounds plausible in theory but > doesn't work in practice" is a handwave. No, it's a statement of an established fact. Look at the brisk traffic in comp.std.internat if you doubt this -- that was another newsgroup created in hopes of sparking vigorous discussions on an undoubtedly- significant issue. IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY. > There is plenty of junk on > the netwaves; font issues might not be immediately important to you... > Here are some reasons for a fonts group: [fonts are worth discussing] Au contraire; font issues are important to me. I would be interested in reading discussions about them. Why don't you start some? Virtually everything you mention is at least marginally appropriate for comp.text. A font newsgroup is not a prerequisite for font discussions, in fact the usual rule is the other way around. Just because fonts are *worth* discussing doesn't mean they *will* be discussed. The way to get a font newsgroup is to talk about fonts, not to talk about font newsgroups. -- Those who do not understand Unix are | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology condemned to reinvent it, poorly. | {allegra,ihnp4,decvax,utai}!utzoo!henry