FontSmoother 2.01 released

[pruss]

http://zlthemes.com/Programs.php
http://palmgear.com/?xyz=90288

No new features, but does fix a problem with non-smooth fonts, may fix some other stuff (especially for users with other hacks) and one user reports that it fixed his crash problem with 2.00.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a327/pruss/320x320anim.gif

[wellsjs]

Thanks Alex,

Just a minor "nag." The installer says "Installing 2.00" but the installed app is indeed "2.01 Full." Might create confusion. ;)

[pruss]

It might. I'll fix it for 2.02, I guess. Too many places with a version number.

By the way: Upgrade instructions: Turn off old version. Hotsync (or copy over) new version. Turn on new version.

[wellsjs]

By the way: Upgrade instructions: Turn off old version. Hotsync (or copy over) new version. Turn on new version.Yep, works great . . . been doing that since RC2. ;)

[DennisOS2]

Probably heresy ........ blasphemy, but why Fontsmoother instead of Font4OS5? I've used Fonts4OS5 for years ...... has really improved the fonts in all of my apps. What is the advantage of Fontsmoother over Fonts4OS5? Price certainly seems very reasonable. But isn't having both sort of the belt and suspenders approach?

[filber]

Probably heresy ........ blasphemy, but why Fontsmoother instead of Font4OS5? I've used Fonts4OS5 for years ...... has really improved the fonts in all of my apps. What is the advantage of Fontsmoother over Fonts4OS5? Price certainly seems very reasonable. But isn't having both sort of the belt and suspenders approach?

Smooth Fonts. (AKA Anti-aliased)

[KenSong]

Alex,

You may want to check your ZIP archive from your website. Seems to return a ZIP file with zero byte.

[WildCelt]

Probably heresy ........ blasphemy, but why Fontsmoother instead of Font4OS5? I've used Fonts4OS5 for years ...... has really improved the fonts in all of my apps. What is the advantage of Fontsmoother over Fonts4OS5? Price certainly seems very reasonable. But isn't having both sort of the belt and suspenders approach?

To add to filber's reason, Fonts4OS5 has been abandoned by the developer and hasn't been updated in years. By far the most compelling reason is the anti-aliased effect. Try it and you will certainly see the difference. It seems to add just that much more clarity and readability to the text.

To be honest, I have used both for years, and until the release of FS2 I still used Fonts4OS5 to view and manage font files (I haven't used it to actually manage active fonts in a long time). The only features it has that FS doesn't is the ability to easily preview fonts before activating them and external card support.

[kiteandcamera]

Probably heresy ........ blasphemy, but why Fontsmoother instead of Font4OS5? I've used Fonts4OS5 for years ...... has really improved the fonts in all of my apps. What is the advantage of Fontsmoother over Fonts4OS5? Price certainly seems very reasonable. But isn't having both sort of the belt and suspenders approach?

DennisOS2, I am basically in your 'camp'. I am a long time Fonts4OS5 users and absolutely love the app. Regardless if the project has been abandoned, it does a terrific job of improving the type display on my Clie. I have tested FS over the past week or so and have finally determined that I will keep using Fonts4OS5. Why? Well, anti-aliased fonts look blurry to me, much the way I feel about ClearType on a PC. pruss verified that if I do not like ClearType (or that botched WordSmith version for PalmOS), that FS is not for me. That said, I will continue to experiment with FS. Even though I don't like anti-aliased fonts, FS does a fine job with blocky types like TungstenT 22.

For anyone new to font utilities, either F4OS5 or FS would be a definite 'must have' app. At this time, though, I would recommend that newbies pursue the purchase of FS as it is actively being developed and improved. This is important as operating systems and handhelds continue improve/change/morph. FS really is a great utility. Plus, EasyConvert is such a cool app, providing unlimited opportunity to further customize your type.

[rdiheath]

I abandoned F4OS5 with the release of this app. There is nothing that I need from F4OS5 that I cannot get in FS. As for the "blurry" look I have managed to correct that for the most part with the use of a non italic font and then adjusting the font darkness. This seems to work for me similar to using the sharpen function in an image viewer (best description I could think of on the fly) the lighter the fone the blurrier it APPEARS and the darker the harder the edges appear.
I will never go back to F4OS5 for the reasons above as well as the fact that it is abandonware.
As for the non-card support: until Alex adds that in in a future release I store them on the card anyway. Even w/ F4OS5 the font in use was moved to internal memory so there really is no diff there other than the need to move a font to memory to activate it or move back to de-activate it which in all reality is only an extra step and not a big deal.
I am able to solve the problem further byu using jackflash to move both FS and a series of fonts to the ROM and use from there and therefore loose no RAM

[pruss]

I didn't know Lubak had really abandoned Fonts4OS5. That's sad--it's an excellent program, with an excellent user interface. Unfortunately, getting things working for NVFS was hard, and I don't think the NVFS-related bugs were ever fully fixed. But for non-NVFS systems, it's a great product.

[kiteandcamera]

As for the "blurry" look I have managed to correct that for the most part with the use of a non italic font and then adjusting the font darkness... the lighter the fone the blurrier it APPEARS and the darker the harder the edges appear.
I am able to solve the problem further byu using jackflash to move both FS and a series of fonts to the ROM and use from there and therefore loose no RAM

Good post; good information. I will experiment with the font darkness setting some more and using what little memory I have left in JF.

[goonie]

I've reached the point where I'd like to delete Fonts4OS5 (have had a registered version for some time) and rely strictly on FontSmoother for all my font management. It is kind of a "belt and suspenders" duplication as noted above, and I don't need the options Fonts4OS5 offers (mixing fonts for a particular program, etc.) Unfortunately, I have one font I like that was a Fonts4OS5 font and when I delete Fonts4OS5, FontSmoother no longer recognizes it. I'd happily recreate this font on my computer using the Font Generator utilities, but it doesn't seem to come out the same way. (It's Lubak's Sans Serif 18 by the way). I realize Pruss wanted to respect Fonts4OS5 and ensure that people were using registered copies of it and the fonts that came with it, but is there any way around this?

[wellsjs]

Well, look at it like this. If you make Fonts4OS5 active and then deactivate, you can then use it's fonts in FS. Leave it deactivated so it has no effect on anything, and the RAM footprint (2 files) is only 76k. Leave it in RAM and forget about it. Hide the app if you like. Hardly worth pacing the floor in the middle of the night! :D ;)

[goonie]

I'm in total agreement, wellsjs, just the principle of the thing. I like to simplify and keep a clean house where possible!

[tosbsas]

One other thing Alex - the zlauncher guys offer an option - after installing - to delete the installer itself - could we get this too??

Ruben

[Shrink]

One other thing Alex - the zlauncher guys offer an option - after installing - to delete the installer itself - could we get this too??

Ruben
I would hope for this also. Sometimes I forget.
Thanks
alan

[pruss]

I would hope for this also. Sometimes I forget.
Thanks
alan

PalmSource recommends that the installer be kept in place.

That said, you will notice that the installer is automatically deleted when you run FontSmoother.

[tosbsas]

well on what device? Here (T3) it definitly stays in ram

Ruben

[Shrink]

well on what device? Here (T3) it definitly stays in ram

Ruben
On my TX as well
alan

[STBXXL]

Yes, on my TX the installer also does not get deleted when I run FontSmoother (or myKbd for that matter). However, I always delete it immediately and never run into a problem with FS or myKbd.

Cheers.

[Greek]

Gets deleted automatically on my TX, happened with all installers. :)

Regards,

[tosbsas]

ups, thats weird - what are you using - thats a normal tx??

pinstall or something like that is the name of the thing

Ruben

[pruss]

Yes, on my TX the installer also does not get deleted when I run FontSmoother (or myKbd for that matter). However, I always delete it immediately and never run into a problem with FS or myKbd.

Cheers.

What's the database name of the installer in Filez for you?

[filber]

Yes, on my TX the installer also does not get deleted when I run FontSmoother (or myKbd for that matter). However, I always delete it immediately and never run into a problem with FS or myKbd.

Cheers.

I have the same problem with my TX, Alex. In fact when I manually delete it, my TX resets.

[tosbsas]

Guys don't want to change topic but those fonts here rock:

http://hipnetic.com/geek/

Ruben

[pruss]

Let me put a bit of a warning. Microsoft has recently started patenting font designs. Whereas font bitmaps can't be copyrighted in the US, font shapes can be patented. Calibri bitmaps, thus, are probably illegal to distribute. Older Microsoft fonts like Tahoma and Trebuchet do not have patented shapes as far as I know. I am not a lawyer, though.

[alex_lorenzo]

They have a great design, but kerning is far from perfect (at least at size 14)

[PinCushionQueen]

I too have always manually deleted the installers for myKbd and FontSmoother without ill effects to either application. I didn't know it was supposed to automatically delete itself or I would have said something long ago.