TeX, OpenType fonts and Rust
Clarendon Auditorium | Tue 14 Mar 2:25 p.m.–3:10 p.m.
Presented by
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Jae is a student at Monash University student looking into data-informed policy making in the education space. His primary interests are in adding authentic voice to data, and adding quantitative warrants to qualitative findings to tackle problems in equity, inclusion and diversity to inform decision making. His other interests include TeX, Rust and the sociological implications of open-source contribution.
Abstract
TeX is a widely recognised typesetting tool in the science and tech community, valued for its automatability, simple syntax, and ability to typeset technical expressions and equations. By extension, using OpenType fonts and their features are one such way to achieve high quality typography. However, this can be a daunting task with TeX for those unfamiliar with the tags and functionality, the `fontspec` library, or the available features for a given font.
To bridge this gap, we identify the challenges faced by developers and users when utilising OpenType fonts through interviews and conducting epistemic network analysis. We will then discuss strategies for addressing these challenges and showcase a command-line tool written in Rust that addresses these gaps. This will pave the way for the next generation of TeX, making the utility of OpenType features more accessible and efficient for endusers.
TeX is a widely recognised typesetting tool in the science and tech community, valued for its automatability, simple syntax, and ability to typeset technical expressions and equations. By extension, using OpenType fonts and their features are one such way to achieve high quality typography. However, this can be a daunting task with TeX for those unfamiliar with the tags and functionality, the `fontspec` library, or the available features for a given font. To bridge this gap, we identify the challenges faced by developers and users when utilising OpenType fonts through interviews and conducting epistemic network analysis. We will then discuss strategies for addressing these challenges and showcase a command-line tool written in Rust that addresses these gaps. This will pave the way for the next generation of TeX, making the utility of OpenType features more accessible and efficient for endusers.