Re: WOFF and extended metadata

On 26 May 2010, at 07:19, Gustavo Ferreira wrote:

> A user visits a website which uses WOFF fonts.
> 
> He/she likes the fonts and wants to get more information about them: what's their name? who designed them, when? what is their license? are they free/open? where can I get them? etc.
> 
> How will he/she get to this info?
> 
> (Just trying to understand how this would work.)

This issue is not WOFF-specific; it is equally relevant for fonts that are packaged in other file types. The user wondering about the fonts used on a web site will not normally know or care whether it is using .woff, .otf, .ttf, .eot, .svg, or some other format. Regardless of the format involved, it's desirable that the browser provides some way - such as a section of a Page Info dialog, for example - for the user to find details of the fonts, whether that information comes from a WOFF metadata block, an OpenType 'name' table, an EOT header, or some element/attribute within an SVG font.

As such, I think the suggestion that browsers ought to offer access to such metadata, if appropriate within their overall design and operating environment, does not really belong in one particular file format specification. I'm not opposed to an informative comment in the WOFF spec, noting that UAs MAY provide users with means to examine the metadata, but I think anything stronger than this (such as a recommendation of what SHOULD be provided) would be out of place in this document.

JK

Received on Wednesday, 26 May 2010 12:53:47 UTC