Bug#306290: ITP: ttf-mph-2b-damase -- font with ranges from the latest version of unicode
Hi Stefan,
You are correct.
However, I stand by my statement that it covers Kharoṣṭhī because it
does, in the same way that James Kass' Code2000 covers Burmese: it
includes the basic glyphs, but not the OpenType tables nessecary for
proper rendering of the script.
When I made the font, I had no information on Kharosthi halant forms
(or whatever they're called - I don't work in Indic scripts much), so
I left it with the silly glyph it has for a Kharosthi virama.
Is there an actual vowel-killer symbol in Kharosthi?
I have since come by information on the glyph shapes. I began to work
on incorporating it into my font, but gave up for a number of reasons:
1. Some of the glyphs I needed to draw from scratch, which takes a lot of time
2. The other ones, I would have to create composites manually, which
takes time but not as much.
3. I had intended for the current release of the font to be at least
somewhat stable
4. I am very bad with OpenType tables. Yes, I made them for MPH
Yangon, but I tried to make an Arabic font and, well, I totally fucked
it up. I am afraid to proceed to the creation of opentype tables for
my new experimental Syriac font. I might try copying them from an
existing font, but it would probably take a lot of work to adapt it.
It would be easier if I discarded ligatures, which is certainly an
option since ligatures are often wildly different in Nestorian and
Jacobite varieties.
5. I am lazy.
6. One of my main motivations for creating fonts is my political
philosophy. I believe that people being able to process text in their
indigenous language in some small way helps them move towards
self-determination. There is currently no population which uses
Kharosthi as its "native script". Only academics have a need to type
it, so I don't feel the same pressure. This isn't to say that I don't
care - I do - but rather that it is less of a priority for me and I
don't feel as bad putting it off as I did when I put off fixing the
Tifinagh codepoints.
7. I am lazy AND busy at the same time. I am currently sitting on my
bum, which I do most of the day. I read my e-mail alot and talk to
people over the internet alot. Other than that, I don't do a whole
lot, but when I do, I work on it very determinedly, and right now I'm
busy with a Sardinian-English dictionary.
In short, I may fix it someday. I do sincerely doubt that somebody
else won't produce a better Kharosthi font in the meantime, however.
In fact you are welcome, if you should so desire, to use my
glyphshapes to make a new font.
As for the inspiration for the glyphshapes: I interpolated the
outlines of a couple of different existing Kharosthi fonts, then
interpolated the result and my own drawings of the glyphs.
Mark
On 08/05/05, Stefan Baums <baums@u.washington.edu> wrote:
> PS. On closer inspection, it seems that the Kharoṣṭhī glyphs in
> the Damase font are in fact not just copies from the Unicode
> charts, but original designs. Which is great! I'd be interested
> to hear (outside this bug report) what they were inspired by.
>
> (The real problem of the font – no contextual substition and no
> composite glyphs – remains.)
>
> S.
>
> --
> Stefan Baums
> Asian Languages and Literature
> University of Washington
>
--
SI HOC LEGERE SCIS NIMIVM ERVDITIONIS HABES
QVANTVM MATERIAE MATERIETVR MARMOTA MONAX SI MARMOTA MONAX MATERIAM
POSSIT MATERIARI
ESTNE VOLVMEN IN TOGA AN SOLVM TIBI LIBET ME VIDERE
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