Fontology

2 definitions found

From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) [jargon]:

  fontology n. [XEROX PARC] The body of knowledge dealing with the
     construction and use of new fonts (e.g., for window systems and
     typesetting software). It has been said that fontology recapitulates
     file-ogeny.
  
     [Unfortunately, this reference to the embryological dictum that


     "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny" is not merely a joke. On the
     Macintosh, for example, System 7 has to go through contortions to
     compensate for an earlier design error that created a whole different
     set of abstractions for fonts parallel to `files' and `folders' --ESR]
  
  

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  fontology
       
          ({XEROX PARC}) The body of knowledge dealing with the
          construction and use of new {font}s (e.g. for window systems
          and typesetting software).  It has been said that fontology
          recapitulates file-ogeny.
       
          Unfortunately, this reference to the embryological dictum
          that "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny" is not merely a joke.
          On the Macintosh, for example, System 7 has to go through
          contortions to compensate for an earlier design error that
          created a whole different set of abstractions for fonts
          parallel to "files" and "folders" - ESR
       
          [{Jargon File}]
       
          (1994-12-01)