CompuServe Messages

RE: the hypothetical "Dan's Font-o-matic" which would suck Fontographer out of the ROM, and also perhaps slices, dices, etc… I am going to attempt to quell any uneasiness about Metamorphosis as some kind of evil pirate program. First off, what does Meta do? It allows a font owner to convert his PostScript fonts to other interesting formats, like Fontographer native format, and EPS suitable for editing. As far as I can tell, people on this forum are worried about the morality/legality of people "ripping off" fonts after they have been Metamorphosized. I don't understand how this is different from ripping off fonts which _haven't_ been Metamorphosized. Armed with a computer, people have always had the opportunity to copy and distribute software illegally. I could take an Adobe font disk, change the names, remove copyright notices, and sell it very nicely _without_ Metamorphosis. Meta doesn't seem to add any ability in this area. Nor does Meta make this any easier. But as to equipment which allows the user to transfer information from one form to another: hasn't that controversy been settled years ago with the advent of the photocopier, the VCR, the optical scanner, and the tape-recorder?? All those do essentially the same thing (in their respective mediums) that Metamorphosis does. Meta should therefore be no more controversial than computers with more than one disk drive. Bravo to you, Dan, for your concerns about artist's work being fair game for anyone who wants to rip it off. We share similar concerns. In fact, our software has ALWAYS been fair game for illegal copying; the only protection we have is laws, and good people. In summary, Metamorphosis poses the same sorts of problems as photocopiers, tape recorders, and even Finder Copy. No more, and no less. Use it as you would these. Pete Mason, ALTSYS Corp (not Earl Allen, as it says above)