Font management nightmare in OSX

[rhubarb]

I have been given the wonderfull responsibility of setting up font management for eight G5s in OSX, using Extensis Suitcase X1. All is not well so far. After spending 2 days trying to use 'Font Book' that almost ended in tears I have downloaded a demo of Suitcase X1.
There seems to be fonts everywhere in OSX, so I thought it would be a good idea to move Hard Disk Library Fonts and User Library Fonts, out of their locations and put them in a removed folder on the hard disk. I left the 'System' fonts well alone. I then ran font doctor on one of my font collections and chucked it at Suitcase. All seemed well to start with but after using for a while all sorts of problems are cropping up! On another G5 where I did the same all the text on web pages has gone screwy.
My night tonight is spent reading the 64 page Suitcase user guide to try and find some solution. I've just read that System fonts are stored in places other than the system fonts folder! How handy! Could these be ones I have removed?
I need help – please anybody got a solution to my nightmare.

 

[Nspace]

I just started using OSX and I am a little unclear of your problem. However I do use Suitcase X1 on my powerbook and i did not tough any of the pre installed system fonts. I Installed Suitcase and have a folder with my files where i keep additional fonts and then just activate them in suitcase.

For 8 different machines (I am currently going to try and do this between my pb and my windows machines in the future) you should look into Suitcase Server and have all the computers on the workgroup be able to access the fonts, i don't know if that helps.

http://www.extensis.com/en/products/product_family.jsp?locale=en_US&id=1049

I just play it safe and do not touch any of the system fonts, and keep additional ones elsewhere.

 

[Blue Velvet]

Uh-oh!

Have to do the same thing myself within the next few weeks (only 4 machines, tho)

Have taken the safe route and pre-ordered 4 copies of Suitcase X1, just in case. Was hoping to leave Fontbook & fonts well alone & let Suitcase handle it all.

Sorry if I can't help but I would have left virtually everything alone 'cept for those fonts that clash with their postscript versions...

Will be following this thread with interest.

 

[zarathustra]

so I thought it would be a good idea to move Hard Disk Library Fonts and User Library Fonts, out of their locations and put them in a removed folder on the hard disk. I left the 'System' fonts well alone.

You shouldn't have done that. Those fonts were installed by the system or applications for a reason. While suitcase can activate them, there is a difference between system activated and Suitcase activated fonts.

We only manage our purchased, external fonts with Suitcase. I would put everything back where you got it from and only manage your custom fonts with Suitcase.

 

[big]

One small item Extenesis forgets to mention... (and you MUST do this)

move ALL your fonts into a folder at your discretion on the HD, leaving the following:

/System Folder (AKA OS9 system folder), any fonts that you want to work with Classic
/System/fonts, leave LastResort.dfont & LucidaGrande.dfont

all other folders must be totally empty, restart and tell Extenesis to launch on boot (login) and have it control system fonts

this was very annoying that I could not find it in any documentation, and had to CALL them for this info. Then never touch Font Book again. I am also annoyed by Apple's lack of PDF functionality, and that Adobe's product is pretty much a MUST buy as well, but oh well.

 

[Blue Velvet]

...and that Adobe's product is pretty much a MUST buy as well, but oh well.

Are you referring to ATM Deluxe for classic fonts here or something else?

Or is it Acrobat Pro for PDFs?

 

[big]

Sorry, buy Acrobat Pro for creating PDF's.....
I really have no use for ATM Deluxe, except in classic

 

[bousozoku]

You shouldn't have moved any system-related folders. Hopefully, you only emptied them and can restore the original contents.

Those font files in /Library/fonts should stay there regardless. Those contains font files for all users.

Suitcase should be able to allow you a networked folder for font files, if that's what you're trying to allow.