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Safari 3.1 - Downloadable Fonts
Posted by Chris Rugen in
8 Feb 2008 — 7:19am
8 Feb 2008 — 7:19am
The ability to download and immediately render non-standard web fonts is just one of several advancements Apple Inc. has planned for Safari 3.1, a small but significant update to its share-gaining web browser for both the Mac and Windows PCs.
I haven't fully parsed the significance of this, but I thought I'd post it for general edification/examination.
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8 Feb 2008 — 7:38am
It was discussed here http://www.typophile.com/node/38534
8 Feb 2008 — 7:43am
Oops. My search of Typophile failed me.
8 Feb 2008 — 7:54am
Also here: http://www.typophile.com/node/37793
and here: http://www.typophile.com/node/38872
or here: http://www.typophile.com/node/19502
But the fact that it will be available in Safari 3.1 is a new one.
8 Feb 2008 — 8:01am
I think everyone would be a lot better off if Apple would just work with Microsoft on this one. Laying down the gauntlet by sticking this functionality in a .X version browser with a minuscule market share isn’t going to do much more than give people something to gripe about.
8 Feb 2008 — 8:31am
I'm guessing this is more about the iPhone than anything. As long as Safari is adhering to standards, I guess I can't complain.
8 Feb 2008 — 8:46am
Apple has a way of market testing that sometimes spurs Microsoft into buying in with its own version if it turns out to be successful.
ChrisL
8 Feb 2008 — 9:18am
My own opinion is that this is good news. Apple can trial the feature and we'll see how iPhone and other Safari users react to the freeware fonts funneled down onto their favorite Web pages. Browsers on the side-lines can then decide if they want to jump on-board. Apple should get credit for having the balls to stick their head over the ramparts on this one.
8 Feb 2008 — 11:55am
You don't have to wait for the official update of Safari. There appears to be a daily (nightly…) build of WebKit available on the webthat has the full feature of downloadable fonts (strictly above water, mind you).
http://nightly.webkit.org/
. . .
Bert Vanderveen BNO
8 Feb 2008 — 12:23pm
Yep, it's been there since November for Windows, maybe before that on the Mac.