Subacme

上个月, 微软发布了下一 Windows 版本, Windows 8 的开发者预览版本, Windows Developer Preview。 一项最明显却最少被讨论的改变发生在 Segoe UI 字体中。

Segoe (top) vs Segoe UI (bottom)

Segoe UI 是由 Segoe 衍生的一套字体, 後者是微软从 Monotype 许可的一套具有争议的字体。 Segoe UI 中有一些修改, 使它更适合在屏幕上显示。 不过, 在开发者预览的用户界面上, 其中一些修改似乎消失了, 同时又有一些新的修改被引进。

更仔细地查看新版的字体文件揭露了一个令人兴奋的事实: 这些被修改的字形是作为 OpenType 特征 (feature) 实现的 (stylistic set 20, ss20), 与此同时还有其他功能被添加进来, 包括连字 (ligatures), 小型大写 (small caps), 旧式数字 (old-style figures) 和表格数字 (tabular figures, 即等宽 (monospaced) 数字), 以及其他。

Segoe UI 的一些新增 OpenType 特征

Semibold 和 Semilight 重量没有斜体变种。 还应注意的是, 现有的斜体变种相较对应的罗马体 (非斜体) 版本仍然缺少许多功能 (甚至没有连字)。 如果这意味着开发工作正在继续, 我们也许可以期待在世界上最流行的操作系统的下一版本中得到另一套优秀的字体。

Last month, Microsoft released Windows Developer Preview for its next operating system, Windows 8.  One of the most visible yet least discussed changes is in the Segoe UI fonts.

Segoe (top) vs Segoe UI (bottom)

Segoe UI was derived from Segoe, a controversial typeface that Microsoft originally licensed from Monotype.  A number of modifications (as shown above) were done to make Segoe UI more suitable for on-screen display.  However, some of these changes have seemingly disappeared in the Developer Preview’s interface, and several new changes have been introduced.

A more detailed look into the new font files reveals an exciting fact: the modified letterforms are implemented as an OpenType feature (stylistic set 20, ss20), along with other new features including ligatures, small caps, old-style and tabular (monospaced) numerals, and more.

Some of the new features of Segoe UI

There are no italic variants for Semibold and Semilight. It should also be noted that currently available italic variants do not contain as many new features as their Roman counterparts do (not even ligatures). If this suggests that the development is going on, we can probably expect another great typeface with the next release of the world’s most popular operating system.