Ubuntu Wiki

• Launchpad Entry: FontInstall

• Created: 2008-04-26

• Contributors: ffM

• Packages affected:

Summary

• Gnome is completely lacking a font installer. If you double click a ttf font, you can preview it, but no indication is given to the user for how to get the font into applications. KDE already does this out of the the box. On the wiki there are some instructions explaining to create a .fonts folder and stick your fonts in there, but this has issues:
• Shouldn't be necessary in the first place
• Isn't system wide, and to do so system wide requires using the terminal
• Doesn't work for joe blow user because when he tries to create the .fonts folder Nautilus tells him it already exists, he looks for it but doesn't see it, and gives up using Ubuntu out of frustration (he doesn't see it because it's hidden, nautilus doesn't explain this either).

Scope

This specification covers a simple way to add fonts to Ubuntu using a simple GUI.

Rationale

Currently the only way to add a font as a user is to create (if not already in existence ) a ~/.fonts folder and to put your fonts in there. This is not immediately obvious, and such a directory is hidden by default.

Adding a system font is very difficult without terminal usage.

Use Cases

• Joe the graphics designer wants to install a font just for himself, so that he can make cool-looking documents in AbiWord

• Alice the SysOp finds a nice font, and wants all the people on her system to be able to use it.

Design

The following considerations should be kept in mind:

* The user should not have to open a terminal * PolicyKit should be used to add system fonts * Separation should be kept between user and system fonts

Implementation Plan

Ideally, this will appear in System>Preferences>Appereance under "Fonts", where a "add new" button would exist to add a font simply. (Mockup to be created shortly)

CategorySpec