Bug 161838 - Replace Noto Sans/Serif fonts by their variable version
Summary: Replace Noto Sans/Serif fonts by their variable version
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: LibreOffice (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
unspecified
Hardware: All All
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks: Fonts-Bundled Fonts-Embedded
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Reported: 2024-06-29 14:48 UTC by Volga
Modified: 2024-07-16 15:35 UTC (History)
4 users (show)

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Description Volga 2024-06-29 14:48:24 UTC
Description:
Both Noto Sans and Serif fonts have multiple weights and styles, they will dramatically increase installation package size, while they are replaced by variable version of Noto Sans and Serif, you will make package smaller.

Steps to Reproduce:
N/A

Actual Results:
N/A

Expected Results:
N/A


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No

Additional Info:
https://notofonts.github.io/noto-docs/
Comment 1 V Stuart Foote 2024-06-29 18:08:11 UTC
Maybe, but absent UI work needed for bug 152206 to do anything with the variable fonts is there *really* any reason to swap out the fixed weight Noto fonts?

Install size is not a very good reason otherwise.
Comment 2 V Stuart Foote 2024-06-29 18:19:22 UTC
Would also note bug 159752 and how we'd already dropped a bunch of the unsupportable weight faces, how would variable weight fonts behave? For starters IIRC they'd have to stamped out in process as usable fixed weight fonts anyhow.
Comment 3 Volga 2024-06-30 04:26:01 UTC
As LibreOffice is already able to support variable fonts, it is also able to reproduce fixed weight from variable fonts as well, this is handled via STAT table, which doesn't require special UI to tweak font weight and others. If you are used Microsoft Windows, you may have already experienced with Bahnschrift font.

See:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/opentype/spec/stat
Comment 4 V Stuart Foote 2024-06-30 12:59:07 UTC
(In reply to Volga from comment #3)
> As LibreOffice is already able to support variable fonts, it is also able to
> reproduce fixed weight from variable fonts as well, this is handled via STAT
> table, which doesn't require special UI to tweak font weight and others. If
> you are used Microsoft Windows, you may have already experienced with
> Bahnschrift font.
> 
> See:
> https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/opentype/spec/stat

Hmm, don't believe it does. Rather, Windows installs individual weight faces of Bahnschrift which LO picks up.  The named fixed weight faces of the family are the only renderings available to LO on Windows at least.

Though I don't know how builds for macOS or Linux DEs are doing with variable fonts--just that our UI for handling extended faces of a variable font are still limited to what os/DE passes as installed for display in listbox, or the character dialog.
Comment 5 RGB 2024-06-30 19:41:00 UTC
Please, see also Bug 152396 - Font width (expanded, condensed, etc.) is not supported 

Right now there is no reliable way to use complex variable fonts on LibreOffice, you always get the wrong width. At least with the static fonts those widths are split on different font families.
Comment 6 Stéphane Guillou (stragu) 2024-07-16 15:35:40 UTC
So I guess this would be blocked by bug 152396 and potentially others, but given the work needed, maybe close as won't fix, at least for now?