[OS X TeX] "installing fonts" again - programmers listening? :)

[William Adams]

mahakk asked:
>but then again, we're on a mac here, which to me means that this
>"tex-specific task" should be made more mac-like.
>and i know there are others feeling the same, according to private mails
>from people on his list, who told me that font-installation is what troubles
>them the most, too.

Then back up to Mac OS 7.6.1 and use TeX/GX---maybe if enough people
register it, the Sumner Institute of Linguistics will up-date it for Mac
OS X. www.sil.org

> so, is there any application out here which assist me in installing fonts
>for tex? 

No, not specifically as you describe.

>like

>- drag'n'drop a folder containing all parts of a font onto the app

First there's the issue of whether or no one got the .afms---these are
getting hard to come by.

>- have the app ask me for the names

These are determined by Karl Berry's FontName scheme. This allows TeX
and other components to derive the encoding of said iteration of a font.

>- generate all the files

tex on a file which includes
\input fontinst.sty
\latinfamily{karl-berry-fontname-three-letter-name-with-optional-extension-here}{}
\bye

will get one the necessary source files.

>- convert what was generated

With any decent shell this is a two line shell script to run pltotf and
vptovf on the afore-mentioned files.

>- place all this stuff in the correct directories

Well this is drag and drop

>- make tex aware of the new fonts

re-hash may or may not be necessary here.

FWIW, there were .pkg files in NeXTstep for installing fonts using the
native GUI tools, but Apple got GNU-phobic and switched to PAX from
GNUTAR, so no one is willing to use their installe for fear of blowing
away symlinked directories.

Alan Hoenig's vfinst is sort of close to what you want (but is a
command-line tool).

This .pdf discusses font installation for OzTeX and has a
Mac-orientation which some on the list may find helpful.

http://dradul.tripod.com/ozfonts/ozfonts.pdf

Similarly, I've argued that pdfTeX for Mac OS X should be up-dated so as
to user ATSUI fonts, and that'd probably afford something like to what
you want, but I'm not aware of any pdfTeX developers with a Mac OS X
box. Perhaps someone'll try to support OpenType....

William

-- 
William Adams, publishing specialist
ATLIS Graphics & Design / 717-731-6707 voice / 717-731-6708 fax
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
http://www.atlis.com

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