Provide metadata for fonts

[tintou]

The AppStream specification is providing a metadata standard for fonts, this allow them to be available in Application Software Managers (like GNOME Shell, elementary AppCenter or KDE Discover).
It would be freat if fnt would create such metadata to easily be able to install them.

[alexmyczko]

Here is a basic version of an appstream generator, https://sid.ethz.ch/appstream/
to be used with debian packaging of the debian fonts team.

[alexmyczko]

@tintou I don't think the metadata alone lets the application software manager to install the fonts, can you prove otherwise? what system do you use? distribution/release?

[tintou]

The application software can't let install you the fonts unless they are distributed as a package for your distribution (for now).
Having each font providing an appstream data would allow you to have a listing of the fonts with their associated package. For instance that's how it looks in Debian: https://people.debian.org/~mak/DEP-11/DEP-11_Components.yaml (notice the Packages: line which allows the application store to know which package to install)

[tintou]

For instance, flatpak provides a standard location where it automatically downloads the "remote" AppStream data so that appcenters can then show the same data as if it would have come from the distribution repository. It is then up to the appcenter to give back the id to flatpak at installation time.
A similar tiny library could be possible for fnt.

[alexmyczko]

I see like a snap, flatpak, apt backend but for fonts only using fnt...
i found only C implementations of it: https://packages.debian.org/sid/gnome-software-plugin-snap and it comes with gnome software itself: https://sources.debian.org/src/gnome-software/40.4-1/plugins/snap/

[alexmyczko]

using equivs it is easy to create debian packages automatically for all fonts see an early test: https://sid.ethz.ch/debian/fonts-equivs/

[alexmyczko]

all? google webfonts as rpm and deb packages at http://sid.ethz.ch/fonts/, see the example http://sid.ethz.ch/fonts/?fraunces

[alexmyczko]

The problem with AppStream is it is from freedesktop.org only for GNOME. And Linux. But the world (or Internet), is not only made of that. There is also macOS and that other OS (that you have to pay for)…

AppStream by fd.o is made by someone who was at Red Hat in 2000. And it is 23 years later nowhere near useful.