[Fwd: New Bitstream technology comes to Linux and Desktop/LX]
This is a newsletter from the Lycoris Linux commercial distribution,
concerning something new in font/font management.
I'm not aware of the licencing details (I would be very surprised if it
could be classified as 'free'). Point the first.
Point the second: There seems to be an ever accelerating interest in the
proprietary section toward incorporating free/open source software into
"hybrid" environments. This has a double implication for me - (1)
Proprietary vendors wanting to incorporate FOSS to extend and enhance
marketability of their product/s. (2) The possibility of proprietary
interests incorporating FOSS into their productline, and then by way of
this assuming a legal posture in the possession aspect.
Point the third: Lycoris is based on a Caldera base, and I'm not sure
how this would stand with the SCO situation.
But it looks good, as all dangerous toys do, so I thought that it might
be of interest anyway.
Regards,
David.
-----Forwarded Message-----
From: Lycoris Newsletters <newsletters@lycoris.com>
To: davidpalmer@westnet.com.au
Subject: New Bitstream technology comes to Linux and Desktop/LX
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 03:06:34 -0700
New Font Technology Comes to Linux - only in Desktop/LX 1.4
Dear Lycoris Customer,
We normally don't send our press releases out to our userbase. We're
going to make an exception this one time. This is such groundbreaking
news in Linux that we just felt we had to share it with you. We have
teamed up with Bitstream to bring new font rendering technology to
Linux. We are replacing Freetype in Desktop/LX 1.4 with a new technology
called btX2. btX2 is a font rendering system including the Font Fusion
rendering engine that is the fastest in the world, and includes
unequaled hinting technology. What does this mean for our users? Quite
simply the fastest and best-looking font experience available in Linux.
If this were something that other companies offered, you'd only see our
usual set of announcements. However, this is the very first time
something like this has been done in the Linux desktop arena, and we
felt you'd want to know about it. Desktop/LX 1.4 is going to be setting
the pace yet once again. Clearer fonts, and faster page & window
rendering with btX2 will be just one of the great featuresets!
Desktop/LX is the first company to use this great technology on the
Linux desktop.
Our press release about this is below. You can see for yourself why
we're proud to call Bitstream a preferred technology partner. You can
also see our Sneak Peek series of webpages, announcing new features and
things you'll be seeing in Desktop/LX 1.4. Technical specifications,
project capabilities and more are below.
Best regards,
The Lycoris Team
Lycoris Licenses btX2 Font Engine from Bitstream
Leader in Linux desktop consumer market to bring high-quality font
rendering and character hinting to Linux
MAPLE VALLEY, WA and CAMBRIDGE, MA - June 10, 2004 - Lycoris and
Bitstream Inc. (NASDAQ: BITS) announced today that Lycoris will license
the btX2 font rendering engine and a core set of 13 delta-hinted screen
fonts from Bitstream for its entire product line, including Desktop/LX
Personal, Desktop/LX InterConnect, and Desktop/LX Tablet Edition,
replacing the current Freetype system.
“Lycoris commitment to desktop usability extends even to the font
rendering system,” said Joseph Cheek, CEO of Lycoris. “The inclusion of
the additional set of core fonts, as well as the btX2 font engine, gives
our users enhanced viewing capabilities. We are excited to partner with
industry powerhouse Bitstream to ensure that our users experiences with
our products are not just enjoyable, but exceptional.”
“btX2 gives Linux developers a complete solution in one license
agreement from one vendor,” said Anna Chagnon, President and CEO of
Bitstream. “Were trying to make it easier for developers to bring a
great look-and-feel to the Linux desktop. Users have been spoiled by
what theyve seen on other desktop systems, and are demanding smooth,
clear text that is easy to read. Now they can get this solution from
Lycoris. Its a pleasure working with the leader in the Linux desktop
consumer market.”
“The engineering team at Lycoris has been outstanding,” stated Shawn
Flynn, Senior Software Engineer of Bitstream. “We were able to work
together on issues surrounding btX2, and solve them immediately. Our
engineering team made certain that Lycoris was able to take advantage of
btX2s support for native TrueType hinting and anti-aliasing, as these
were critical factors in bringing readability to Desktop/LX.”
About btX2
Key Features
* Provides high-quality text rendering, fine-tuned for the output
device
* Scales characters on the fly
* Renders native hints, which retain distinguishing character
features
* Smooths jagged character edges using anti-aliasing technology
* Supports multilingual fonts, including two-byte character sets
* Supports Unicode and native encodings
Core Set of 13 Delta-Hinted Screen Fonts
* Courier 10 roman, italic, bold, and bold italic
* DutchTM 801 roman, italic, bold, and bold italic
* SwissTM 721 roman, italic, bold, and bold italic
* Symbol Set
Devices Supported
* Color LCD displays
* Grayscale displays
* Handheld and wireless devices
* Information appliances
* TV and HDTV
* Set-top boxes
* Embedded systems
* Bitmap devices
Operating Systems & Applications Supported
* Linux & UNIX
Font Formats Supported
* CFF (compact font format) / Type 2
* OpenType
* PostScript Type 1
* TrueType
* TrueType collections
* TrueDoc PFRs, portable font resources
* T2K
* SpeedoTM
* Stroke-based font format
* Embedded bitmaps (TrueType, TrueDoc, and T2K formats)
Unsurpassed Speed btX2 uses the fastest font engine on the market, Font
Fusion®, to render characters:
Monochrome (black-and-white) characters: * Unhinted: 37,714 bitmaps per
second
Native TrueType hinted: 13,713 bitmaps per second
Anti-aliased (grayscale) characters: * Unhinted: 25,453 bitmaps per
second
Native TrueType hinted: 11,573 bitmaps per second
* Tested using a 450MHz Pentium II processor, rendering a TrueType font
at 25 lines per em
About Bitstream
Bitstream Inc. (NASDAQ: BITS) is a software development company that
focuses on the presentation of data. Bitstream enables customers
worldwide to render high-quality text, browse the Web on wireless
devices, select from the largest collection of fonts online, and
customize documents over the Internet. Its core competencies include
font technology, browsing technology, e-commerce technology, and
publishing technology. Visit Bitstream on the Web at
http://www.bitstream.com.
About Lycoris
Lycoris was founded in 2000 with a vision of making Linux simple enough
for everyone. Lycoris packages Open Source applications for the consumer
market and integrates them into Desktop/LX, its simple, robust operating
system. Lycoris is positioning itself as the leading provider of the
best Linux based operating system specifically targeted for the desktop
market, whether purchased separately or pre-installed on Desktop/LX PCs.
The company is also the leader in the Linux Tablet arena, pioneering the
first and so far only Linux-based Tablet PC operating system, Desktop/LX
Tablet Edition. Lycoris sets the standard that all others follow. Visit
Lycoris on the web at www.lycoris.com.
Sales Team:
+1 425.738.6604
sales@lycoris.com
Lycoris
26828 Maple Valley Highway, #259
Maple Valley, WA 98038
Copyright 2004 Lycoris. Lycoris, Desktop/LX, FontPak and their
associated logos are trademarks of Lycoris in the U.S. and in other
countries. Bitstream is a registered trademark and the Bitstream logo is
a trademark of Bitstream Inc. Other technologies and brand names are
used for information only and remain trademarks or registered trademarks
of their respective companies. Information in news releases including
without limitation product prices, specifications, content of services,
and contact information, is current on the date of the press
announcement, but is subject to change without notice.
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http://lycoris.com/lists/index.php.
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