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This FAQ is part of the Code Style Help and FAQ section. Use the help request form below if your question is not answered here, but make sure you are asking the right question first.
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New Linux fonts
Font licensing
Survey technique
New Linux fonts
- Q: Did you know there are Linux fonts missing from the survey?
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A: Very likely, yes. The Unix family font survey sample is periodically updated with fonts included in popular Linux distributions. Please let us know about any fonts you think should be included.
The Code Style site is inviting feedback from Unix and GNU/Linux users on the font survey applet. Java applets don't seem to be very widely implemented on these platforms, so this has not been put into full production use yet. The font survey applet test page should list all installed fonts and submit them, please have a go.
Font licensing
- Q: What are the licence terms for URW Chancery L?
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A: The fonts displayed in the Code Style font sampler are not owned by this site. The text samples show fonts installed on your own computer, the font images show how they are rendered on screen. The GhostWriter product should include licence terms for all the fonts provided with it. The URW Chancery L font is owned and licenced by the URW++ font foundry.
Survey technique
- Q: The most recognisable fonts will be over-reported won't they?
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A: On the whole, yes, but more particularly the least distinguished fonts will be under-reported. For instance, Times New Roman has a relatively low frequency because it is the default font for many Windows Web browsers and some survey respondents may not realise it is present on their system. Other Windows serif fonts such as Book Antiqua, Bookman Old Style, Century Schoolbook, Calisto MT and possibly Footlight MT Light and Georgia may also be under-reported because they are similar to Times New Roman.
Obviously, if users have selected a sans serif font as their Web browser's default then other sans serif fonts may be overlooked.
- Q: If fonts are not reported, does it mean they are not installed?
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A: No, the ability to distinguish one font from another is an implicit part of the Code Style font survey. If some survey respondents cannot tell that a specified font is present, it is not fair to say the fonts are not installed.
It is worth noting the same perceptual limitations apply in a production environment; readers may not consciously "see" the specified font, but if it is present it may subtly affect the character of the typographic design in their view. The ultimate point of the font survey results is to give a guide to the likely visual impact of using the named fonts.
- Q: Shouldn't there be a "No" box too?
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A: The implication of your question is that "No" is over-reported because it is the default status. There is a fine line between making the survey as easy as possible to complete and improving its impartiality.
The frequency of individual fonts is calculated according to the number of surveys in which they are reported, not by comparison with other fonts. Therefore, checking twenty or so boxes "Yes" for installed fonts gives the same logical result as checking "No" for a further twenty more, but for half the effort.
Put another way, a "No" box would only confirm the absence of certain fonts. If some respondents could not be bothered to mark all 40 fonts yes or no, the presence of a "No" box would not reduce the uncertainty about the actual status of unmarked fonts.
The font survey therefore errs in favour of simplicity in order to maximise the number of submissions made.
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