At 22:27 3/30/2002, Maggie Yeung wrote:
>We have developed a Windows software product and it will be
>localized into 10 different languages, including several Asian
>languages. What's the pro and cons of :
>
>1. Use Unicode font for all languages
>2. Use Roman font for Latin1 languages and Unicode font for Asian
> languages.
>e.g., The pros and cons of using Unicode font for all languages are:
>
>Pros: Easier for internationalization, localization, testing and
>installation.
>
>Cons: Not many Unicode fonts available, limited choice, UI may not look as
>pleasing as other non-unicode fonts. Also, Unicode font is large, may take
>time to load it.
By 'Unicode font' I presume you mean a single large font that supports as
much of the Unicode standard as possible. Such fonts are, as you note, few
in number, and tend to be cobbled together from other fonts. The value of
such fonts is very limited, except as fallback mechanisms when you have no
other way to display a particular character. Sensitive type design is
pretty much impossible given the technical restraints of trying to combine
so many diverse writing systems within a single font. Also note that
different Asian countries employ preferred forms for many characters,
making a single font solution unacceptable to users.
Please note that the term 'Unicode font', used in this way, is likely to be
confusing to many people. As a professional font developer, I would use the
term to refer to any font that included a Unicode 'cmap' table, regardless
of how many characters or Unicode ranges the font covered.
John Hudson
Tiro Typeworks www.tiro.com
Vancouver, BC tiro@tiro.com
... es ist ein unwiederbringliches Bild der Vergangenheit,
das mit jeder Gegenwart zu verschwinden droht, die sich
nicht in ihm gemeint erkannte.
... every image of the past that is not recognized by the
present as one of its own concerns threatens to disappear
irretrievably.
Walter Benjamin
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