Core fonts for the Web
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Core fonts for the Web was a project begun by Microsoft in 1996 to make a standard pack of fonts for the Internet. The project was terminated in August 2002, allegedly due to frequent EULA violations.[1] However, that same EULA allows redistribution if the packages are kept in their original format and filenames and not used to add value to commercial products. As a result, they are still available for download on third-party websites.
For Windows, the fonts are provided as standard executables, however they each include an embedded cabinet file, which can be extracted with appropriate software. This allows the fonts to be used on operating systems such as Linux, as long as they are distributed in original form. For the Macintosh, the files are provided as BinHexed Stuff-It archives.
Even though the fonts are legally available from SourceForge and other Web sites and are included with Mac OS, Håkon Wium Lie (CTO of Opera Software) cited the cancellation of the project as an example of Microsoft resisting interoperability.[2]
On April 11, 2005, Ascender Corporation reached an agreement with Microsoft, which enabled Ascender to distribute Microsoft Fonts, including the Windows Core Fonts, the Microsoft Web Fonts and the many multilingual fonts currently supplied by Microsoft. Each regular font is normally sold for $30, with a 4-font typeface set license for 5 users priced at $110 as of October 2007.[3]
In July 2007, Apple announced that it had renewed its licensing agreement with Microsoft for these fonts.[4]
Contents |
[edit] The fonts
[edit] Successors
In Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft introduced ClearType Font Collection, which consists of 6 font families: Calibri, Cambria, Candara, Consolas, Constantia, Corbel. Version 1 of the fonts can be found in Microsoft's free Office 2007 viewers and converters, while version 5.00 of the fonts are shipped with Vista.
Cariadings, the only Symbol encoded font in the ClearType Font Collection, was initially announced to be available with Vista,[5] but is unavailable in the final Vista release.[6] The font is available commercially from Ascender for $20.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Microsoft Yanks Core Fonts
- ^ Opera to MS: Get real about interoperability, Mr Gates | The Register
- ^ Ascender Fonts
- ^ Mac users’ Internet experience to remain "seamless" thanks to Microsoft - MAC.BLORGE.com
- ^ Microsoft Design Center - Community News
- ^ Where’s the Windings replacement “Cariadings”? - istartedsomething
[edit] External links
- Core fonts download page on Sourceforge
- Former Core fonts for the Web homepage (Courtesy of the Internet Archive)
- Current Core fonts for the Web home page, which no longer provides the fonts themselves.
- Microsoft's TrueType core fonts for Mac and Windows (contains a copy of the EULA, the FAQ, and all the font packages)
- Microsoft's TrueType core fonts for Linux (contains a copy of the EULA, the FAQ, and all the font packages)
- An Initiative started by Andrei Herasimchuk, sends an Open Letter to Adobe in order to improve Web-Typography. Also Designer Jeff Croft proposes the new Windows Vista Typefaces made available in an Open Letter to Apple and Microsoft
- Ascender's announcement on Microsoft fonts
- Web Design is 95% Typography (Part 1) and (Part 2) — Two articles on web design and typography that caused controversy.
- ClearType Font Collection
- Typeface Descriptions & Histories
