[webkit-dev] EOT Support in WebKit

[Amanda Walker]

On Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 12:41 PM, David Hyatt <hyatt at apple.com> wrote:
> The big problem is if you support it, EOT wins.  We may as well remove
> the TTF code path from the tree.  EOT is unwieldy to use, doesn't
> support the full range of TTF, contains URL restrictions that make it
> cumbersome to stage (access control could work much better).

I'm not sure I follow the "we might as well remove TTF" reasoning,
especially in light of the usability problems you mention.

Putting on my Amateur Web Developer hat, TTF support is something I've
been avidly awaited for many many years.  I mean, I'm a font geek, and
have been trying every downloadable font technology anyone's created,
from TrueDoc to SIFR.  @font-face with TTF is the only reasonable one
out there--doesn't take proprietary (and pricey) tools, or a Windows
box, or whatever.  Just host the font file and write some CSS.

EOT is irrelevant to the technical and operational advantages of TTF.

> Ok, fair enough.  It would be good to get an official position from
> Google on this (maybe even on www-style).  Right now the message I'm
> getting from Google folks is very muddled.

Putting my Google hat back on, I will say that I will strenuously
argue *for* including TTF downloadable fonts.  I have no strong
opinion about supporting EOT without DRM, and will argue against
supporting EOT with DRM. But that's speaking as an individual
engineer--we haven't really talked it over as a team yet (the proposed
patch came out of the blue to use as much as it did to anyone else).

> Ok.  It would be good to get an official position from Google.  The
> other browsers all expressed official positions in the W3C on this
> issue.  I believe Google needs to do the same.

Agreed--Ian Hixson is probably the person to make such a statement,
since he's our main standards committee geek :-).

--Amanda