Re: [forum] Re: Choosing an extension for bitmap-only SFNTs

[XFree86 is switching to SFNT wrappers for bitmap fonts; what is a
 suitable extension?  Adding the FreeType and PFAEdit lists in case
 they have something to say.]

>> I need to pick an extension for the bitmap-only SFNT fonts

After reading carefully the replies, the current front-runner is
``otb'', for ``OpenType Bitmap''.  Is that extension used up yet?

DD> With the proviso that there has been some research to determine that
DD> nobody else is already using an extension for fonts like this,

David,

As far as I know, Microsoft doesn't use bitmap-only sfnts -- they use
scalable fonts throughout, nowadays, only keeping the legacy .FON
format for backwards compatibility.

Apple did at some point use bitmap-only sfnts (albeit in a format
slightly different from the one I'm using), but the MacOS file system
doesn't use file extensions.

They also used them on the Newton handheld, but I have no idea if the
Newton has file extensions (or even if it has a file system).

They also have a bizarre encoding of SFNTs on Mac OS X.  The extension
is ``.dfont'', and is not specific to bitmap-only fonts.

If anyone knows of a system that does use file extensions and that
does use bitmap-only SFNTs, I'm quite willing to be compatible.
Failing that, we'll have to pick our own.

                                        Juliusz