Sun 04 May 2008 12:11:04 PM UTC, comment #1:
Jacob,
This is all very well said.
I'll divide your remarks into two portions, with separate bug reports.
I have already removed the assertion that the fonts are no longer available. I think this addresses the primary point of your remarks in this portion.
I have also written lots of descriptive information about FreeFont, and intend to move the existing main page of Primoz' to something like an "articles" directory, where you remarked it would fit better.
Regarding marketing, your points are well taken, I'll take them into account in future versions of the web site, which I have been working on for some time.
Regarding the competitive shape, I hope it has improved in the last release. At least, it can now be used in Windows and Mac OS X, but also some very severe usability issues are cleared up. And the next release will address many of the other bugs and suggestions you provided. One would hope that the popularity of the font will be improved, if it is functional and serves a purpose that isn't easily found elsewhere.
I think the EULA has been proven to be enforcible. Of course, those who would press the issue are volunteers, but that's a different question.
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Sun 04 May 2008 11:57:04 AM UTC, original submission:
This is from Jacob Poon's report of 2007-10,
https://savannah.gnu.org/support/?106274
The documentation incorrectly referred that the fonts are not anymore available on the Web. Last time I checked, the fonts have been hosted in SourceForge site after Microsoft had yanked them out of its own corporate pages. And thanks to file sharing networks, the core fonts, as well as the later versions of these fonts (including Windows Vista counterparts) and more, are perpetually available somewhere in the web.
I know there are legal and moral issues involved, and I do believe in software freedom, and really hate to see this and many other free software projects have become the perpetual underdogs. But the truth is, the existing arguments are not going to help developing UCS fonts, when the non-free products can be obtained very easily with almost zero chances of getting caught (in fact, in countries like Canada, it isn't even illegal to download copyright infringing materials), and the current free UCS fonts simply can't compete in quality. Also, unlike other software, the core fonts are relatively maintenance free, so there is little chance of someone calling Microsoft over the font's incompatibility (even if there are, the source of the faults are mostly anything but the fonts themselves). If that's not bad enough, there are active user groups that mix, match, and hack proprietary fonts with zero regards to EULA, which in itself has questionable legal enforcibility (though in this case, there may also be issues of legality of knock-off fonts).
At best, your existing arguments are only relevant to corporate entities, who have much less chance of escaping infringement lawsuits. But for them, cost of paying for fonts are relatively trivial, especially when they are more capable to obtain volume discounts than average end users while obtaining some, even if limited, degrees of support. On the other hand, Free UCS Outline Fonts come with no warranty. Combining with the fact that Free UCS fonts are not popluar to begin with, average end users and corporate entities alike have much better chance of finding community support for the Core Fonts for the Web than Free UCS fonts ever can.
If this, or any other free software project, want to have a shot of replacing the evil proprietary software(tm) in a world of full of unrepentent freeloaders who are willing and able to get whatever software they want, virutually in anywhere, at any time, by any means necessary, it needs to compete in quality. It is an unfair fight, but this is the kind of environment this project has to compete in. Since current Free UCS Outline Fonts are not exactly in competitive shape, and last time I checked, it hasn't been updated for over a year, it will need some proper marketing to attract development resources. I am not a marketer, nor do I know of any marketer I can refer you to, but I do know a key of successful marketing is to be honest. I am not saying there are fraudulent intent involved, but claiming core fonts for the Web are unavailable on the Web when they have been hosted by SourceForge for YEARS does not sound like honesty to me. The statements need to be updated to honestly reflect the current state of the competitions, especially on technical qualities.
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