Re: unicode Digest V2 #167

From: Otto Stolz (Otto.Stolz@uni-konstanz.de)
Date: Fri Jul 05 2002 - 08:25:59 EDT


Michael Jansson wrote:

> Anyone using a modern browser on a modern OS would *still*
> not be able to read Hawaiians text, because they may not have a Hawaiian
> font. To support such a (simple) language on the web, you need web fonts.

You don't need web fonts; it is enough to have installed fonts for the
languages you can read -- which you normally would have, anyway. E. g.,
in <http://www.hclrss.demon.co.uk/unicode/fonts.html>, you will certainly
find several fonts suitable for Hawaiian.

Web fonts do not work with all browsers alike, as there is no widely
accepted standard. Rather, two market-leaders have their proprietary,
mutually incompatible, mechanisms. We have seen that indic example which
tried clever tricks to select a web-font mechanism appropriate for the
respective browser -- and still failed to provide my (fairly standard)
browser with a font to display that page. Even if you do better (server-
side mechanisms rather than Javascript), you will never be able to cover
all browsers in the field (i. e. all browser brands, all versions; all
operating systems, all configuration settings; all display types, re-
solutions, and windows sizes; ...).

Best wishes,
   Otto Stolz



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