Re: [LUG] OT: Google fonts for the web

[Simon Waters <simon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gordon Henderson wrote:
> On Thu, 20 May 2010, Simon Waters wrote:
>
> > Funnily enough I have a script that wraps up a list of Debian
> > re-distributable fonts into format suitable to install onto your 
> > webserver.
> > Of course I didn't have the cash to hand to employee font designers.
> >
> > http://googlecode.blogspot.com/2010/05/introducing-google-font-api-google-font.html 
> Fascinating - well, for me as a non web designer, anyway. I really am 
> clueless when it comes to the nuts & bolts of css, etc. but I tried that 
> example and got it to work after a fashion:
>   http://unicorn.drogon.net/test.html
>
> but what bothers me is how it actually works - I presume it has to get 
> some magic "stuff" off the link referred to in the embedded url, and 
> somehow download the entire font definition to the browser so the 
> browser can then render the text - it starts to introduce many site 
> dependencies into what should (could?) be a simple web page... (At least 
> I think that's how it's working - I really am not up on the details)
Basically yes it just downloads the font into the browser when needed. 
In fact the website normally needs 2 versions, one for real browsers, 
and one for Mickeysoft browsers.
There is some additional logic in some browsers to stop you siphoning 
fonts from other sites, thus stopping people loading the fonts from 
other people's sites.
Google are prepared to deliver them themselves (which makes sense as you 
want them cached in the browser for performance, so if Google deliver 
them with a long time to live and many people use them there is no round 
trip to Google and no network hit in reusing the same font on many 
sites). So whilst you would be dependent on Google serving the font your 
visitors might have fetched it before visiting your site.
As I said I did a font pack from Debian redistributable fonts.

http://simonwaters.technocool.net/fonts.htm

I probably ought to switch that page in a more readable font.

 Simon




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