Until recently, web pages were limited not only by "sedentary" tools, but also font packages for the Internet. What does it mean? Each site was filled with favorites: Arial, Courier New, Times New Roman… The originality was off the charts! However, progress is forcing developers to look for new ways to solve non-standard problems.
A bit of history…
Development of Embedded OpenType technology ended at the turn of the century (1997). In fact, the solution to the problem of "uniformity" of web pages was found more than 20 years ago. But Microsoft's monopoly hindered the popularization of the EOT. What would it give at that time? It would expand not only the possibilities of developers, but would encourage further developments.
The main role was given to the joint development of Microsoft and Adobe - the OpenType file format. About the benefits - a little later, but "debugging" lasted more than 10 years. The amount of work done is truly amazing.
Open Type: no flaws
A TrueType follower has an impressive set of benefits:
- Supports Unicode, which expanded the number of characters to 65,000.
- The compression process is more efficient. Small dimensions ensure embedding as in PDFfiles and web resources.
- Within the family, variations of optical sizes are allowed, while different sets of vector contours are used.
- A feature of Contextual Alternates that changes the shape of a character depending on the context.
Briefly about the main thing
Embedded OpenType technology is attractive not only with a variety of letter styles, but also provides security. The whole secret is in compression and conversion to the.eot format, where the web resource address is placed in the root line. If it is not specified, no characters will be displayed. This protection mechanism has become popular with well-known manufacturers.
One of the main shortcomings was the conversion process itself, or rather, the tools for these purposes. The converter was the exclusive utility WEFT, which functions only on the Windows platform. A less significant disadvantage is the protection system that prevents the copying of characters on the site.
The list of problem "zones" and ways to solve them were discussed within the framework of the working group (Fonts WG). An alternative solution was found: instead of creating a "free" container according to the "root line" scheme, it was added to the OpenType format with a font.
Why use EOT
This mechanism allows you to protect developments from unauthorized use. Developers value their creations in the hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, they can be understood. It can take several years to create one EOT font (which is what it is - below)! Therefore, the "virtual shield" provides protectionintellectual property from outside encroachment.
What does a font file consist of
The question of EOT does not arise anymore. What's this? But some points are still questionable. Let's dive into the "innards", considering the structural basis of any file:
- general information;
- ISO, Adobe and Apple Unicode encodings;
- table of names and glyphs;
- OpenType requires a digital signature and bitmap features.
Embedded OpenType technology can not only diversify the display of web pages (variety of character display), but also protect against piracy. EOT - what is it? Panacea or overrated populism? The answer to this question lies somewhere in the middle, but the benefits are undeniable. However, there is no guarantee that a new player will not enter the "arms race" in a couple of years.
