“Smart font technology, which automatically inserts advanced
typographical features in the right context, has existed for a
decade, but it is still only partly implemented in most operating
systems and programs. Now, a project called Graphite is not only
introducing smart font technology to GNU/Linux, but offering it in
a form more advanced than any previous implementations. For
typographically straightforward languages like English, Graphite
delivers a higher level of sophistication in document design
without any effort by the user. However, for non-European
languages, Graphite’s smart font technology is even more important,
because it simplifies their use on computers.“The best-known examples of smart font technologies are the
proprietary OpenType, developed by Microsoft and Adobe, and
Advanced Apple Technology…”
Related Story:
NewsForge:
Smart Unicode Typefaces Released Under Free License(Mar 19,
2006)