[Qgis-developer] Default typeface to package with app

[Etienne Tourigny]

It seems quite a few linux distros have dejavu packages available, so
it's probably not worth worrying about for the linux packages:
http://dejavu-fonts.org/wiki/Download

It seems that Deja Vu is similar to or compatible with Verdana - which
is more widely available in Windows and OS X ?

If we end up embedding fonts (in say Windows and OSX), it might be
worth only embedding what is really necessary to save some space.
If you need only 4 typefaces (out of 21 total), then download size
would be about 1MB instead of 5MB.

Etienne

On Sat, Sep 15, 2012 at 6:46 PM, Etienne Tourigny
<etourigny.dev at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Larry,
>
> I agree with using a unique font - but it would be best to choose one
> which would minimize the need to add size to qgis.
>
> For example, deja vu font has packages in ubuntu (to name one linux
> distro), so adding it as an external dependency would not add size to
> the qgis package.
> Don't know about windows, osx and other linux distros though. Any case
> we could provide an extra package, to be installed when needed.
>
> On another note - do you plan to allow user to choose his font of
> choice, or hard-code a specific font - based on all your arguments
> above?
>
> Etienne
>
> On Sat, Sep 15, 2012 at 5:33 PM, Larry Shaffer <larrys at dakotacarto.com> wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> Not sure if this has been discussed before, but how about including a
>> default typeface to package with releases/source? Here are several
>> reasons for doing so:
>>
>> * Standard QFontMetrics allow for developing a GUI overhaul around a
>> known font across all platforms (at least in a pointsize at dpi default
>> sense).
>> * Known font metrics allow for standardizing relative font sizes in
>> app-wide stylesheets, and per platform where needed.
>> * Adding tests for the labeling engine would need a standard font of
>> consistent metrics and available/functional on all platforms.
>> * Currently the only Qt default font on all platforms (Courier, I
>> believe) is not necessarily of similar metrics, since it is from
>> various sources, nor is it IMHO very nice looking (apologies to any
>> Courier fans).
>> * Have a better/consistent monospaced font for the Python Console and
>> anywhere editor instances (e.g. QScintilla2) or code snippets are
>> displayed.
>> * Have a known set of available Unicode glyphs for translators to rely upon.
>> * Have a default font that provides a known set of Unicode glyphs for
>> font markers in symbology. (Could be spread across multiple default
>> symbol fonts.)
>> * Provide workarounds for QtDesigner bug where platform-specific fonts
>> end up embedded in .ui files [0].
>>
>> There are probably other good reasons. I've looked at several typeface
>> candidates and think the DejaVu project's family of fonts [1] would
>> work well. While DejaVu (based off of Bitstream's Vera Sans) is
>> already available for Ubuntu and other Linux distros, it is relatively
>> unused, though fully compatible, on all supported QGIS platforms [2].
>> Downside: about 5 MBs extra (compressed) for package.
>>
>> As a TTF DejaVu can readily be loaded into QFontDatabase [3] on
>> platforms that do not have a compatible DejaVu typeface already
>> installed. This would probably entail only loading 4 heavily-used
>> faces, like Sans Book/Bold and Mono Book/Bold, though I think the
>> entire typeface should be included.
>>
>> Any other ideas for embedded fonts? Note: fonts to consider should be
>> in TTF format, offer enough font faces, provide enough language and
>> Unicode character support, and be available under the SIL Open Font
>> [4] or similarly compatible license.
>>
>>
>> [0] Search for 'font-family:' in .ui files
>> [1] http://dejavu-fonts.org/wiki/Main_Page
>> [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DejaVu_fonts
>> [3] http://qt-project.org/doc/qt-4.7/qfontdatabase.html#id-5441ac2b-3b52-411e-b2be-7ee83eef8041
>> [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIL_Open_Font_License
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Larry
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