And I can’t wait to see your “ESPN big” project.

One thing I noticed with my 2am tinkering is that when linking anywhere in the text, the entire replacement becomes a link. So no multiple linking or single work linking or am I missing something? Or was this the intended effect?

Great Stuff and I too am wondering about “ESPN big”….

I began to think of ways browser manufacturers could quickly implement anti-aliased custom typography.

The real answer isn’t a technological one. It’s a business or licensing one. The problem has more to do with convincing makers of type to allow web developers to spread type around at no cost, or at a cost that makes sense and is practical. Obviously, no one has figured this out yet.

But I think the last thing we need is a Flash specific CSS property. We should be able to to add a call that says to get the font from the server, not the client, and render it. That breaks the current licensing model for type, so browsers makers won’t do it.

Outside of that, I’m enjoying using sIFR, but wish there were an easier way to do the code and mark-up.

Also, you ever figure out that problem with the Design Eye article? It’s the only article on DxF that the sIFR disappears. I’m beginning to suspect it’s a memory issues with Safari.

But I think the last thing we need is a Flash specific CSS property. We should be able to to add a call that says to get the font from the server, not the client, and render it.

I agree entirely. As stated early in the article, several companies attempted this and none got it quite right. We need a group working toward the betterment of web design as well as web standards – I hope that’s what the WHATWG will turn out to be in the long run.

Echoing Mike, I sure hope that the WHATWG has typography on that plate (or at least cooking on the back burner). sIFR and other technologies make it possible, but if we want to get away from the ‘Scourge of Arial’ we’ll need ease of use.

Excellent work, Mike! I hope to roll this out in some form on my own site soon.

Call me a cynic but even if we get everything we want, then we’ll still have a percent of users disabling this function, or overwritting with their own fonts… or IE will require hacks or different syntax.. I’m so jaded these days!

You’re right – people will turn off the functionality and we’ll have to struggle through old browsers not supporting the newest technology. However, your first point isn’t a problem, it’s giving users a level of control they deserve. The latter point is, of course, a small problem.

But so what? Progress is progress. If we can at least come to a conclusion as to how this should be implemented and get the forerunners in browser technology in the game, we’ll be on our way. All new web technologies have started off this way in the last half decade and if we hope to continue on, standardization (to a degree) and implementation by technology leaders like Mozilla is absolutely key. Everything else will eventually fall in to place.