X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: f996b,47779b5253487c72 X-Google-Attributes: gidf996b,public X-Google-Thread: fbb9d,47779b5253487c72 X-Google-Attributes: gidfbb9d,public X-Google-Thread: 110f55,47779b5253487c72 X-Google-Attributes: gid110f55,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 1994-10-15 10:29:52 PST Path: bga.com!news.sprintlink.net!sashimi.wwa.com!not-for-mail From: Tony Nugent Newsgroups: rec.arts.ascii,alt.ascii-art,alt.binaries.pictures.ascii Subject: Talk: Reduce the no. of flf files but INCREASE the no. of fonts! Date: 15 Oct 1994 12:27:04 -0500 Organization: Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia Lines: 87 Sender: boba@wwa.com Approved: boba@wwa.com Message-ID: <37p3d8$8r9@sashimi.wwa.com> References: <37db4u$p00@charnel.ecst.CSUChico.EDU> <37hk7j$di6@gagme.wwa.com> <37k7eh$a3b@sashimi.wwa.com> Reply-To: T.Nugent@sct.gu.edu.au NNTP-Posting-Host: sashimi.wwa.com Xref: bga.com rec.arts.ascii:2103 alt.ascii-art:13000 alt.binaries.pictures.ascii:1333 Brad writes: >On 12 Oct 1994, Bob Allison wrote: Subject was: Talk: Number of Figlet fonts >> I think there are over 90 fonts right now. > > Well, I've got 96, and I think there are one or two more out >there. And advancement? :) ***************************************************************** * * * There is an almost UNLIMITED number of fonts possible - and I * * say this while advocating a REDUCTION in the number of flf * * files that are now available!!!! * * * ***************************************************************** Anthony Thysson has suggested (in the figlet email list) that many fonts are very similar, with most differences being a simple traslation of one character (or pattern of characters) with another. For example, it's possible to get an exact reproduction of one font by piping the output of a similar font though the unix tr comand. (Check "man tr" if you don't know of this command). (And BTW, there IS a dos version of tr available at Simtel - oak.oakland.edu :: /SimTel/msdos/textutil/tr112.zip). So a great many fonts are redundant! For an example of this, check out all the banner fonts - they are nearly identical except for the translation of one character pattern for another. In fact, this is a GREAT idea for a future improvement to figlet - have a "built-in" tr command (via a command-line switch and/or use of "figlet control files") so that one character (or pattern of characters) can be translated into another! That way, you immediately reduce the number of fonts (and they DO take up a lot of disk space!!!), while at the same time increasing the versatility and variability of the number of possible fonts that are possible, all from a single set of "basic" fonts! (Sorry Glenn... yet *another* suggestion to put on your improvements-to-figlet-list! :-) This is one of the current problems with figlet - too many damn fonts that take up too much damn room - a pain to choose an appropriate font, and a pain when dealing with trying to keep a reasonable number of fonts in an account with a limited quota space! There was some discussion a while ago to have "compressed font files" to deal with the space font files took up. This idea is a great alternative (or adjunct) to this problem. Another point - most of the fonts I like to use are the smaller ones. The bigger fonts, while looking nice, just tend to "scroll off" the line and break up words! What font authors need to do is concentrate on developing a set of basic fonts (or reviewing the current fonts) to concentrate on the basic style (eg straight or slanted etc) and the SIZE (ie height and width) of the fonts. The actual result of the font may be relatively simple, but with imaginative use of the "tr" command, all sorts of interesting fonts become possible. Of course, there are several fonts that are rather unique and wouldn't fit into the category of being "basic" (acrobatic.flf comes immediately to mind), but the general principle holds. My humble $0.05 worth anyhow (they don't have 1c or 2c coins here in Australia any more:) Cheers Tony /> Tony Nugent \/< / Griffith University, Nathan, Brisbane, Qld, Australia -{\\\\<#>\\\\(*)XXX<:::<====================================================- /\< \ T.Nugent@sct.gu.edu.au tnugent@gucis.cit.gu.edu.au \>