Join FontLab for Freehand?

[FFH Thü]

(a post by Freed Schmitter, from our previous Q&A forum)

FontLab has acquired Altsys/Macromedia Fontographer some time ago. This means that they have succeeded in further developping this type design software that was abandoned by Adobe. It would be interesting to find out how they negotiated, and with whom. Furthermore, I read that Fontographer 5.0 still imports Freehand files. Their website www.fontlab.com states:
- IMPROVED! Copy-paste and import-export of Illustrator and Freehand outline artwork.
A cooperation with FontLab or combining forces might be a possible way to advance the FreeFreehand cause?

PS:
Q and A found there:
“What was the first Bézier drawing program for Macintosh computers? No, it wasn't Illustrator. Nor was it FreeHand. The answer is Fontographer.”
— creativepro.com, Feb 2001

[FFH Thü]

[FFH Thü]

(answer by Freed Schmitter)

A comment by maeric on this article states:
'In May 2005, FontLab Ltd. announced that they had licensed distribution rights from Macromedia, and resumed development. ...They have since exercised their option to buy all rights to Fontographer, so it is now fully owned by FontLab Ltd. In June 2010, Fontographer version 5.0 was released by FontLab''.

- Therefore, wouldn't it make sense to team up with FontLab in some ways?

[FFH Thü]

(answer by FFH Mark)

There may be something to this, at least to introduce ourselves and see how FontLab feels about the FreeHand cause. Obviously no guarantees about participation but I'll extend them an official welcome and post their reply on this thread.

I sent two letters-of-introduction about FFH.org and it's connection with FOG last week. No response from either FontLab or it's Product Manager, Adam Twardoch. Freed, you may want to try through their forums however.
http://forum.fontlab.com/

[FFH Thü]

(answer by Nocturnal YL)

The whole Macromedia history has been telling us that as they get bigger, more and more products will get killed. It depends on the style of management and marketing strategy, and it looks like that FontLab does better in not disposing products.

This table http://www.fontlab.com/fontlab-products/compare/ is actually showing one obvious thing: FontLab can modify one of these five products and end up selling only that combined thing instead. While they don't say this out loud, they do indeed display what is catering for different users is about.

If anything, this will serve as a good showcase for Adobe.

[FFH Thü]

(answer by Freed Schmitter)

Sorry, I do not understand your point. Fontlab has a few different products, each with its own strenghts and limitations. As has Adobe, and all the others. What do you want to express by your comment?

[FFH Thü]

(answer by Nocturnal YL)

My point is that the products of FontLab, in terms of functionality, are really similar to each other. The difference between these products would be how they work and their UI, but their capabilities are more or less overlapping - which is something Acobe doesn't seem to be doing. Other products that appears to be somewhat ovelapping, like Photoshop/Elements and Premiere/Elements aren't really THAT similar.

If anything, FontLab's case can be, at least, used as an argument against Adobe that similar products should be eliminated.

[krollian]

I totally agree with you.

Adobe, Can you hear the thousands and thousand of FreeHand users around the world that feel really bad with your powerful and hungrypower and painful user interface Illustrator?

[Rodi]

The issue is simple.

Look at Fontographer, it was under developed yet still had a large base for font creation. Think of the amount of people who create fonts compared with freehand docs, it is tiny. There was a win win for adobe, they had no interest in font creation software (they have the rights to the following font software programs the amazing FontStudio, FontMonger, Fontchameleon.) They essentially gave FontLab the rights to the program because it would never be competition to them.

Freehand, however, is another beast. It could still be competition for Illustrator, meaning money not in Adobes wallet. They did the same thing with FontChameleon, they bought the company, Ares to rid the competition. Dreamweaver was kicking their butts, they had nothing vs Flash and getting Freehand out of the market was just a little icing on the cake.