ttf-liberation renders half ttf-mscorefonts-installer useless, though the rest may still be needed

[LoonyPhoenix]

If I install both ttf-liberation and ttf-mscorefonts-installer (formerly msttcorefonts), web browsers use only Microsoft fonts and ignore ttf-liberation completely because I think fontconfig prefers, e.g., Arial to Liberations Sans if Arial is requested. And that is bad because ttf-liberation look better, at least in Linux :) If I install only ttf-liberation, which replaces only Arial, Times New Roman and Courier New, then the web looks incomplete without fonts like Verdana and Georgia. I even miss Comic Sans.

Well, then, here's my dilemma: which one to use?

I suggest that ttf-mscorefonts-installer be split into two packages: the fonts already replaced by the free software community, which would be called something like ttf-mscorefonts-base, and the fonts which sadly have no metric alternative (ttf-mscorefonts-extra).

Or else make fontconfig use Liberation fonts instead of Arial, Times New Roman and Courier New even if those are available by default.

[Mantas Kriaučiūnas (mantas)]

I've noticed, that mscorefonts are available packaged in deb package too, see ttf-microsoft-corefonts package:

http://archive.debian-maintainers.org/unofficial/packages/microsoft-corefonts/
https://launchpad.net/~ivan1986/+archive/ppa/+packages

It seems font license now allows to distribute the fonts not only in original compressed cab archive (.exe_ form, but also in other forms, like tar and deb packages - look at license file in ttf-microsoft-corefonts package above.

If I'm right, then ubuntu can have ttf-microsoft-corefonts-base and ttf-microsoft-corefonts-extra packages in multiverse repository and this bug would be fixed ;)

[Mantas Kriaučiūnas (mantas)]

I just checked the font license in ttf-mscorefonts-installer and ttf-microsoft-corefonts packages and noticed, that licence remains the same, so I'm not sure if this license allows to distribute the fonts not only in original compressed cab archive (.exe) form, but also in other forms, like tar and deb packages...

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.