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FontBook...does it really suck?
- Thread starter e-coli
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I had trouble adding all the typefaces originally and it was using almost all of my free RAM. Out of 1.5 GB, I had something like 48 MB free with folding@home running too. Virtual memory was really going hard at the disk drive, so everything was slow.
Once I re-booted the system, everything was back to normal and, while I can't comment on Safari, everything seems to work fine with nearly 600 font families showing up in FontBook and almost 1700 files (including suitcases) in the directory.
Once I re-booted the system, everything was back to normal and, while I can't comment on Safari, everything seems to work fine with nearly 600 font families showing up in FontBook and almost 1700 files (including suitcases) in the directory.
e-coli said:
Try turning some of the off or getting Extensis Suitcase. That's what most professionals use when they need a bazillion fonts. We use it here at the newspaper, only turns the fonts when you need them.
=
it's not 100% the font book app's fault (however its speed could be greatly improved), but the system just loads all enabled fonts and it takes time. even if you had suitcase, having thousands of typefaces will slow the system down, but with suitcase it is a lot easier to manage fonts and actually disable some. with font fook i just always have 500+ fonts enabled and don't want to touch them, because font handling in font book is slow.
e-coli said:
I had the same problem... could not get Safari or Mail to launch, and Terminal would launch but was only the size of my thumb (with no window to type in) and could not be resized.
Re-enable all fonts (and Safari should work then), then selectively disable fonts, making sure not to disable fonts that have Foundry set to "Apple Computer." Don't tell it to resolve duplicates (resolve them yourself, turning off the non-Apple versions).
Font Book needs work. NO warnings when disabling a system font means you have no way of knowing if you are going to break something.
JFreak said:
I have to agree. It would be nice if FontBook had "Smart Playlists" like iTunes and iPhoto. Like a book of just disabled fonts. Or a book of duplicates. I really like the idea of smart playlists and want to see them in more of the iApps. I haven't experienced any problems myself with FontBook, but have found the interface a little lacking at times. But hey, I didn't use ANY font managment software before, so for me, it's an improvement.
Font Book is good, but it isn't a professional grade application. It will choke if you have too many fonts. If you have that many, then you'll need Extensis Suitcase.
e-coli said:
Even Apple says it's not the "answer to all" app* and if you do have a lot of fonts (we have about 2,500 or 600mb of fonts) an app like Extensis Suitcase is far superior, and cost effective.
*Speaking to an Apple tech rep at a Boston seminar, while discussing the new features of Panther. 12/1/03
you just shouldn't have all the fonts turned on.
no matter what apps you have, Suitcase or FontBook, if you have all of your fonts turned on it will slow down your system. (probably only applicable to a few thousand fonts)
if you have all the apps turned on it will also slow down in any application when you access the font menu.
and with Suitcase (don't know if this is still the case) if you have all the fonts on it will slow down startup because it has to load all the fonts.
no matter what apps you have, Suitcase or FontBook, if you have all of your fonts turned on it will slow down your system. (probably only applicable to a few thousand fonts)
if you have all the apps turned on it will also slow down in any application when you access the font menu.
and with Suitcase (don't know if this is still the case) if you have all the fonts on it will slow down startup because it has to load all the fonts.
yes, with all font management systems, the problem remains the same: activated fonts slow the whole system down when there are too many. that's even understandable. but the font book app, well, it's v1.0 and slow as hell when font count exceeds 500ish. they better do the same magic they did for iphoto...
well yes, i agree that FontBook isn't up there with Suitcase yet. i bet some of that iPhoto-ish magic will be coming soon. 
as long as people start to understand that if you've got thousands of fonts activated it will slow your system. people have to understand that it's not entirely FontBooks fault.
as long as people start to understand that if you've got thousands of fonts activated it will slow your system. people have to understand that it's not entirely FontBooks fault.
I don't wish to be branded a heretic, but....
....thousands of fonts??????
um, do you really *need* that many? Granted, there are probably people in this forum who have a turbocharged nuclear powered nitrogen cooled G6 with a 51" LCD for answering e-mail, but I digress.
Please help me to understand just what kind of document would use even hundreds of fonts, let alone thousands. Even our crummy high school newspaper - they seem to follow the "if one font is good, then more must be better!" school of thought - probably only gets through 50 in a 6 page issue.
I'm not criticizing, just curious. Thanks.
MFK
....thousands of fonts??????
um, do you really *need* that many? Granted, there are probably people in this forum who have a turbocharged nuclear powered nitrogen cooled G6 with a 51" LCD for answering e-mail, but I digress.
Please help me to understand just what kind of document would use even hundreds of fonts, let alone thousands. Even our crummy high school newspaper - they seem to follow the "if one font is good, then more must be better!" school of thought - probably only gets through 50 in a 6 page issue.
I'm not criticizing, just curious. Thanks.
MFK
Graphic designers use a lot of fonts. We gotta be prepared for any project that comes up.
I like how I can disable Fonts by "Playlist" though I hate that I can have fonts not in a "Playlist". Never liked the Library concept.
I like how I can disable Fonts by "Playlist" though I hate that I can have fonts not in a "Playlist". Never liked the Library concept.
jazzmfk said:
Ever read a magazine?
I'm not sure that most people have thousands of fonts, but thousands of font files is not so unusual. I probably have 24 core font families that I use which consist of more than 100 files.Sure, if you're just using e-mail and doing papers and browsing web sites, you don't need as many.
yeah, but do the math -
a magazine runs, what, a hundred pages? Even if he were to use one tenth of his 2600+ installed fonts, you're still talking almost 3 different fonts on every single page of the magazine!
I mean, I understand the concept. I must have 150 different piano sounds on my synths, but I use about 4. If the others served no purpose other than to slow down my system, AND I had a way to remove them, they'd be history.
I don't know - it just seems silly to have that many installed fonts. Access to that many fonts would be great - instant access seems excessive. I guess it's just the "this one goes to 11" syndrome.
It's a free country, I guess.......
a magazine runs, what, a hundred pages? Even if he were to use one tenth of his 2600+ installed fonts, you're still talking almost 3 different fonts on every single page of the magazine!
I mean, I understand the concept. I must have 150 different piano sounds on my synths, but I use about 4. If the others served no purpose other than to slow down my system, AND I had a way to remove them, they'd be history.
I don't know - it just seems silly to have that many installed fonts. Access to that many fonts would be great - instant access seems excessive. I guess it's just the "this one goes to 11" syndrome.
It's a free country, I guess.......
you obviously don't work in the industry...
meaning advertising.
You have 10 or so jobs your working on (print or web, possibly both) even if a job only uses 1 or 2 font families you have more than on project you are working on, you need instant access to all your fonts as you jump from project to project. You also need all different styles; classic fonts, serif - san serif, not to mention all the new trendy ones not just for the actual production but inspiration and ideas. Also taking existing fonts and modifying them into your own. All this needs to be as fast and simple as possible because in the real world time is money. I can't even imagine what people that work for newpapers like the Times or Washinton Post go through with font management.
All the fonts have to be there installed but you need to be able to view and turn them on and off when ever you need them. If they are all active it screws your system up, no matter what program.
I have around 3000 fonts maybe more, do I use them all... hell no, ask me how many different versions of the same damn crappy font I have (just different enough), probably to many, but I may need them and it's better to have them ready to go than to have to try and hunt down what you are looking for.
nothing to do with a free country, rather real world necessities,
-j
meaning advertising.
You have 10 or so jobs your working on (print or web, possibly both) even if a job only uses 1 or 2 font families you have more than on project you are working on, you need instant access to all your fonts as you jump from project to project. You also need all different styles; classic fonts, serif - san serif, not to mention all the new trendy ones not just for the actual production but inspiration and ideas. Also taking existing fonts and modifying them into your own. All this needs to be as fast and simple as possible because in the real world time is money. I can't even imagine what people that work for newpapers like the Times or Washinton Post go through with font management.
All the fonts have to be there installed but you need to be able to view and turn them on and off when ever you need them. If they are all active it screws your system up, no matter what program.
I have around 3000 fonts maybe more, do I use them all... hell no, ask me how many different versions of the same damn crappy font I have (just different enough), probably to many, but I may need them and it's better to have them ready to go than to have to try and hunt down what you are looking for.
nothing to do with a free country, rather real world necessities,
-j
jazzmfk said:
jazzmfk said:
Remember that designers don't take a plain typeface and make it bold or italic, they use the bold or italic or bold and italic typeface. So, in a standard article, you've already got 4 typefaces/font files. Your title is probably in another typeface and you might be using an ornamental drop cap to start the article. Then, you have to number the page and the continued on/from, plus the magazine name. So, now you've got 2 or 3 more on just one page.
rt_brained said:
Uh... he said individual fonts, not characters!
My biggest pet peeve is Font Book's non-ability to print a font list! That definitely needs to show up in future versions. I dunno about you guys, but to me that's a core feature for font management programs.