TrueType Fonts in Debian mini-HOWTO: Obtaining TrueType Fonts

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## 7. Obtaining TrueType Fonts

If you're looking for TrueType fonts, here are several places where you can start looking:

- c:\windows\fonts on the boat anchor in the corner
- Microsoft's Free TrueType Fonts `http://www.microsoft.com/typography/fontpack/`
- Acid Fonts `http://www.acidcool.com/`
- The Font Ring `http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=fontring&list`

## 7.1 A comment about using Microsoft's free TrueType fonts

No article on TrueType support under Linux would be complete without a comment about Microsoft's free TrueType fonts. First the legality of using Microsoft's free core fonts:

> `http://www.microsoft.com/typography/faq/faq8.htm`

>     Q. What can I do with these fonts?
>        · Anyone can download and install these fonts for
>          their own use.
>        · [Web page] designers can specify the fonts within
>          their own Web pages.
>        ...

Clearly, it is legal and reasonable for Linux users to download and install these fonts, and I would like to thank Microsoft for making them available.

Since another clause restricts their redistribution "in any form that adds value to commercial products" I don't expect to see these fonts packaged in `main` anytime soon. (Could they be packaged in `non-free`, perhaps as an installer package...?)

Now that that's out of the way, I redirect your attention to the second statement. Microsoft actively encourages web page developers to specify their fonts on web pages, and many HTML editors explicitly name fonts.

Many web sites, when viewed by standard Netscape/Linux, can best be described as... legible. Some aren't even that. Not coincidentally the sites which are, um, legible are also usually the sites that explicitly state all font information in their web pages.

After I installed these fonts I noticed that most of these problematic sites became significantly more attractive. Many were still highly Windows-centric, but at least I didn't flinch every time I loaded their pages.

My recommendation is to install Microsoft's free TrueType fonts for your browser. You are not required to create web pages that use these fonts, nor do you have to configure `ghostscript` to use them.

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