https://github.com/lifthrasiir/unison

Unison: Pan-Unicode Bitmap Font From Hell^WScratch
https://github.com/lifthrasiir/unison

bitmap-font font font-generator

Last synced: 21 days ago
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Unison: Pan-Unicode Bitmap Font From Hell^WScratch

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/lifthrasiir/unison
• Owner: lifthrasiir
• Created: 2015-12-07T14:19:44.000Z (about 9 years ago)
• Default Branch: gh-pages
• Last Pushed: 2018-05-24T13:04:32.000Z (over 6 years ago)
• Last Synced: 2024-10-24T17:17:03.328Z (2 months ago)
• Topics: bitmap-font, font, font-generator
• Language: HTML
• Homepage:
• Size: 10 MB
• Stars: 55
• Watchers: 1
• Forks: 0
• Open Issues: 4
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md

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README

        
# Unison

**Unison** is a pan-Unicode hybrid bitmap monospace font in development.

* [Glyph samples](https://lifthrasiir.github.io/unison/sample.html)

* [Live sample](https://lifthrasiir.github.io/unison/live.html)

## Pan-What?

A "pan-Unicode" font covers many, if not all, scripts in the Unicode.

Common pan-Unicode fonts include

[Arial Unicode MS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arial_Unicode_MS),

[Code2000](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code2000),

[GNU Unifont](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Unifont),

[GNU FreeFont](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_FreeFont),

and most recently, [Noto](https://www.google.com/get/noto/) font family.

Unison is designed to be pan-Unicode too.

Conceptually, Unison shares the same goal as GNU Unifont, a fixed-size bitmap font.

The major differences (and possible advantages) are as follows:

* Unison defines a subpixel shape (hence a "hybrid" bitmap font).

  Many other pan-Unicode fonts are either bitmap-only or outline-only,

  and look not that good when zoomed in (bitmap-only) or zoomed out (outline-only).

  While outline fonts try to solve this problem by (largely manual) hinting,

  it is very hard and expensive.

  In contrast, a single font description in Unison can yield

  both a good bitmap font and a reasonable outline font.

  I believe this is an alternative path worth trying.

* Unison tries to support complex script behaviors.

  GNU Unifont in particular is a collection of fixed bitmaps,

  which is of course vastly insufficient in the actual typography.

  Unison aims to support many complex script behaviors in terms of OpenType.

* Unison is designed to be error-proof.

  Whenever possible, a different character

  (after the [canonical normalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicode_equivalence#Normal_forms))

  is assigned a slightly different shape.

  This provides a partial solution to problems like

  [IDN homograph attack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IDN_homograph_attack).

* Unison is designed to be consistent and uniform.

  GNU Unifont is known for the varying degree of character designs

  due to a sheer number of contributors and lax design goals.

  Unison tries to be more consistent and uniform in the design.

* Unison is in the [public domain](font/LICENSE.txt).

  Many free and libre fonts use GNU GPL (with a font embedding exception) or SIL OFL.

  This is partly because outline fonts *are* programs and thus treated as softwares.

  They also clearly deserve the credit and GPL+FE and OFL is a way to ensure that.

  But Unison, being a primarily bitmap font, has less benefits in using such licenses.

  In lieu of this, Unison font data is available for all purposes.

  Note that the *softwares* in `src/` have a different license.

  I originally have made this font out of the necessity

  (a self-contained font for [Angolmois](https://github.com/lifthrasiir/angolmois/)),

  and then for learning the font design and OpenType,

  but I think the font itself may be useful for others.

  Have fun!

## Coverage

For now, please see the bitmap glyph chart below.

![Glyph chart](./sample.png)