Fixing Mac Fonts with Fondu & Unix Commands

[Monique]

argh, this mac is making me miserable

So, I want to convert some .dfont fonts to .ttf and installed fondu, which should do the work.

Now, 1) how do I find out where the program got installed to, or is it supposed to disappear when it's unix based? 2) now when I type fondu in an X11 terminal window it says bash: fondu: command not found.

So, what to do? Commands I used in X11:

echo 'export PATH=/usr/local/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bash_profile
echo 'export MANPATH=/usr/local/man' >> ~/.bash_profile
fondu /Library/Fonts/*.dfont

following the protocol: http://www.freesmug.org/tutorial/ooofonts/index_html

 

[dduardo]

"which fondu" will print the directory the program is located in.

You might want to look into Fink. It allows you to install programs by simply doing: "fink install <program name>" Fink will find any dependencies and install them for you if it is necessary.

http://fink.sourceforge.net/index.php

 

[ComputerGeek]

argh, this mac is making me miserable

So, I want to convert some .dfont fonts to .ttf and installed fondu, which should do the work.

Now, 1) how do I find out where the program got installed to, or is it supposed to disappear when it's unix based? 2) now when I type fondu in an X11 terminal window it says bash: fondu: command not found.

So, what to do? Commands I used in X11:

echo 'export PATH=/usr/local/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bash_profile
echo 'export MANPATH=/usr/local/man' >> ~/.bash_profile
fondu /Library/Fonts/*.dfont

following the protocol: http://www.freesmug.org/tutorial/ooofonts/index_html

Relax.. breath deeply... you have to learn to use it because you are so use to the windows way. The metaphors are similar, but the methods on some parts are different. Once you get use to OS X, you will find yourself being able to move from one environment to the other with little problem. I know how you feel though, going from windows, to OS X was like learning to write using my non-dominant hand at first.

 

[Monique]

The problem is that nothing works (or at least it feels like that at times). I got openoffice to work, but there are no fonts installed that I can use. I tried absolutely everything that was described on the net, but nothing seems to do what it's supposed to.
I installed fondu and typed 'which fondu' in X11, it tells me no fondu was found. Now what?
I also tried installing NeoOffice for mac, but that does not work either. So, I'll buy some microsoft software. It would be nice to install something and that it would then work..

 

[dduardo]

"...OO does not read the Mac font folders,
instead having its own, one has to install desired fonts using an
included executable file called "spadmin." "

If you use fink you can install various fonts found here:

http://packages.debian.org/cgi-bin/...on=names&subword=1&version=stable&release=all

I agree the OOo support on Macs is pretty bad. It does work well on Linux and Windows.

 

[Monique]

Yes, I already tried spadmin, but I don't know what input files it wants; it keeps giving Basic error messages with any font package I try. I'll try Fink, thanks

I also tried the 'download font' wizard within OO, it that for instance downloads times32 but then that executable is nowhere to be found in the Mac why? how? it most go somewhere..

 

[ComputerGeek]

The problem is that nothing works (or at least it feels like that at times). I got openoffice to work, but there are no fonts installed that I can use. I tried absolutely everything that was described on the net, but nothing seems to do what it's supposed to.
I installed fondu and typed 'which fondu' in X11, it tells me no fondu was found. Now what?
I also tried installing NeoOffice for mac, but that does not work either. So, I'll buy some microsoft software. It would be nice to install something and that it would then work..

eh? no fonts? OS X uses TTFs and so does O and neoOffice (both of which suck on OS X, I use MS Office.. just get student and teacher editions, they don't ask, at least in the US and it is 1000% better than the windows version, The MacBU has actually designed it from the ground up just for OS X, it is not some cheap port)

 

[Monique]

Yes, they use ttf but I don't have ttf fonts. Unless you can suggest me where to get those? I already tried finding times online, no success.

*edit* Wait, I found one. Great.

 

[Monique]

Is this normal? That during installations the last step takes for ever. It happened with version 1.1 of OpenOffice and now again with Fink (see attachement).

 

[ComputerGeek]

well, the fink installer script seems to be doing something. I can say that if it is optimizing the disk (which in this case it is not) it could take a few minutes. I wonder what that script is doing.

I do not understand why you do not ahve any fonts. tehy should be located in /Library/fonts

 

[Monique]

The installer stayed like that for a few hours. In the end I forced it to quit, installed it in unix, after which I could install fondu in unix and then convert the dfont to tff and then downloaded fink and converted ttif to dfont and then those dfont to tff.. then dragged everything to the openoffice font folder AND NOW IT WORKS! whohoo!

 

[ComputerGeek]

The installer stayed like that for a few hours. In the end I forced it to quit, installed it in unix, after which I could install fondu in unix and then convert the dfont to tff and then downloaded fink and converted ttif to dfont and then those dfont to tff.. then dragged everything to the openoffice font folder AND NOW IT WORKS! whohoo!

hmm, well, that is OOo for you I guess, but you had a bunch of ttfs in /Library/fonts, OS X comes with about 40.

 

[rho]

I would still recommend perhaps getting MS office X (I can't believe I just said that), because it is very good, maybe better than the windows version.

X11 just gets annoying after a while, and the OSX openoffice distro isn't as good as the linux one.

 

[Monique]

hmm, well, that is OOo for you I guess, but you had a bunch of ttfs in /Library/fonts, OS X comes with about 40.

If they were there I wouldn't go through all this trouble, would I? There were about 10 ttfs, none of any use.

 

[ComputerGeek]

If they were there I wouldn't go through all this trouble, would I? There were about 10 ttfs, none of any use.

are you using roman letters or do you use some other script type?

the reason I say that is for roman letters, there should have been about 40 installed, I am unfamiliar with non roman letter fonts however.

 

[Moonbear]

I would still recommend perhaps getting MS office X (I can't believe I just said that), because it is very good, maybe better than the windows version.

I have to agree that it's pretty good. I stick with MS Office because I need to share files with a lot of people, so was worried about compatibility issues if I didn't use it.

X11 just gets annoying after a while, and the OSX openoffice distro isn't as good as the linux one.

I've never even heard of X11, but everything I've read on the Open Office site made it sound like they aren't yet compatible with OS X (or maybe just not fully functional with it), so I haven't even tried it.

Monique, just wait until you've been using the mac a while and then try going back to using Windows for something! It's been driving me nuts having to work with a computer in the lab that's running XP (not to mention the themes on it look like they were created by a kindergartener...I clicked the button that said "more themes" or something like that, and it took me to a website where they were selling something with more themes. ...in earlier versions of windows, I used to be able to customize everything right from the control panel very easily without needing to pay for pre-packaged themes).

Has anyone tried iWorks? That's what mac is offering now as an office suite. I have a free trial disk, but haven't installed it (I might if I have things to do that I don't need to save forever, or have time to play to see what it does). The most important question is how compatible is it with MS Office applications? Since everyone else uses MS Office, I won't want to use something that isn't going to be fully compatible.

For that matter, what about Open Office? Can someone using Word open a document and see all the correct formatting if it was created in Open Office?

 

[hypermorphism]

...I clicked the button that said "more themes" or something like that, and it took me to a website where they were selling something with more themes. ...in earlier versions of windows, I used to be able to customize everything right from the control panel very easily without needing to pay for pre-packaged themes).
...

I don't have a need for WinXP's waste of graphics/fancy effects either. Go to Control Panel > Display > Themes and switch to "Windows Classic". Customize your colors by going to the Appearance tab (if necessary, Advanced). I turned everything off in "Effects...". Apply everything and go to Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance > Settings and click "Adjust for best performance". Apply and exit and you'll have gotten rid of most of XP's nonsense interface "enhancements".

...
For that matter, what about Open Office? Can someone using Word open a document and see all the correct formatting if it was created in Open Office?

As long as you save your document in the appropriate Word format, and you don't use features exclusive to OpenOffice. Worst-case scenario, you can export to PDF if you need to print such a document elsewhere.