font-installer

  • Launchpad Entry: font-installer

  • Created:

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  • Packages affected:

Summary

Font installation in Ubuntu/GNOME is in rough shape from deprecations and regressions inherited from the migration from GnomeVFS to GVFS. This spec is created in hopes of patching things up for the Jaunty cycle. This spec should flush out the functionality required and the interface for a new font installer and font viewer.

Release Note

Hardy has introduced a gap in the end user's ability to easily install and view fonts. The hope for this spec is to create a new set of tools to replace this gap in the desktop and make life easier for everyone.

Rationale

With GnomeVFS going away, we saw the deprecation of fonts:/// and because of it, many of the font-related tools from gnome-control-center went away as well (brought back for the Intrepid cycle, but absolutely need replacements before going forward). fonts:/// will not be coming back (due to tragically brain-damaged design in the first place). With that in mind, the void needs to be filled, and hopefully with a tool which will last the test of time.

Use Cases

Mildred is a first time Ubuntu user who has downloaded her favorite font from the internet and is now trying to install it in her new Ubuntu installation.

Aaron is a school system administrator who needs to be able to install a font system-wide so that his students are able to make use of it for a classroom project.

Amanda is a graphic designer and has installed too many fonts. She would like to select a font she has installed into her account and remove it.

Assumptions

Design

  • User Interface:
    • I'm tragically bad at designing these, so it's best if I could get help from a professional.
  • PolicyKit-helper:

    • This is necessary to install fonts system-wide for Aaron's use case. This is currently a very tedious task and one that should be made much simpler.
    • Needs further discussion; depends on whether we will see gvfsd-polkit, or if we should make a very simple setuid() helper program to copy the font file somewhere locally (in the case the font is e.g. on a SMB share) then install it.
  • Nautilus-extension: This is probably one of the most visible new components I would like to see introduced: when a font is selected in the file manager, it should be as easy as a right-click to install it.
  • Font Thumbnailer: most of the code in g-c-c is/should-be still valid, but needs to be brought up to date for GIO.
  • More? (Apt/Synaptic/PackageKit interaction perhaps? Gtk+ module to plug into the font chooser dialog?)

Implementation

I (awalton) will likely be the one pulling along this task, hopefully with help from the UI gurus and the packaging gurus. Groundworks have been laid for the project but are on delay for discussion at UDS at the final direction to head in.

UI Changes

  • Interface for installing font via right-click in Nautilus:
    • Simple dialog ("For User") ("System Wide") ("Cancel")
  • Interface for viewing installed fonts and removing installed fonts.
    • Needs some discussion, see above.

Code Changes

Migration

Should not be necessary.

Test/Demo Plan

Unresolved issues

BoF agenda and discussion


CategorySpec

font-installer (last edited 2008-11-24 17:44:52 by cpe-76-177-55-60)