I’m not sure that there is a significant difference, other than terminology, between font linking and font embedding, since they both involve accessing the font file using similar CSS.
I can’t see how the potential benefits of EOT - DRM and subsetting - can work in the general case. If open-source browsers can load an EOT file, then surely the protection that links the file to a site could be side-stepped. For sites that depend on dynamic content, the subsetting feature is inappropriate. And the benefits of EOT only apply to the font’s creator - there is no user benefit to DRM.
So what does the EOT file give you over regular OpenType or TrueType? Other than having to rebuild font files for your sites, possibly any time you change the site content, using a tool that hasn’t been updated in five years and only runs on a PC?
The only reason to use it is licensing requirements from the major font companies. And in effect, a combination of poor technology and restrictive licensing has held back web font embedding. The sooner EOT dies, the better.
We have the prospect of being able to embed fonts within the next year in a decent subset of PC browsers, in all Mac browsers, and in most browsers targeting mobile devices. Free fonts are of increasing quality and are widely available, and maybe one of the major font companies will take a lead and develop a sensible licensing solution for web use.
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I can’t see how the potential benefits of EOT - DRM and subsetting - can work in the general case. If open-source browsers can load an EOT file, then surely the protection that links the file to a site could be side-stepped. For sites that depend on dynamic content, the subsetting feature is inappropriate. And the benefits of EOT only apply to the font’s creator - there is no user benefit to DRM.
So what does the EOT file give you over regular OpenType or TrueType? Other than having to rebuild font files for your sites, possibly any time you change the site content, using a tool that hasn’t been updated in five years and only runs on a PC?
The only reason to use it is licensing requirements from the major font companies. And in effect, a combination of poor technology and restrictive licensing has held back web font embedding. The sooner EOT dies, the better.
We have the prospect of being able to embed fonts within the next year in a decent subset of PC browsers, in all Mac browsers, and in most browsers targeting mobile devices. Free fonts are of increasing quality and are widely available, and maybe one of the major font companies will take a lead and develop a sensible licensing solution for web use.