Consider deprecating font whitelist
Categories
(Core :: Layout: Text and Fonts, task)
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People
(Reporter: pierov, Unassigned)
References
(Blocks 1 open bug)
Details
(Whiteboard: [tor 43322])
Hi,
as far as I understand, the font whitelist code is kept for downstream projects such as Tor Browser.
However, downstream (Tor Browser and Mullvad Browser), we are considering to switch to font visibility rules with custom font lists, as it would allow us to be more consistent with Firefox and simplify the development of future protections.
Another difference is that we'd disable langpack lists.
Also about language support, we noticed that Firefox uses Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN as a default sans-serif on macOS, but it switches to Hiragino Sans in RFP/FPP. Why? We couldn't understand, but we're neither Japanese speaker nor macOS users.
If we are the only whitelist users, we think Firefox could deprecate and eventually remove this feature.
Are there some disadvantages I'm not seeing with this change for us?
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Updated•4 months ago
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Updated•4 months ago
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Comment 1•3 months ago
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Hi emk, are you able to answer Piers questions? Do you have thoughts on making the change? (sorry to needinfo out of the blue).
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Comment 2•3 months ago
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Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN is unavailable in RFP/FPP because it is missing from the standard macOS font list. Filed bug 1962351.
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Comment 3•3 months ago
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I compiled all the apple support docs on fonts by release and built https://arkenfox.github.io/TZP/tests/fontsmac.html
Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN* is not supported by default on any release (according to the docs), and yet we tested all mac releases and it is present (maybe something about downloadable on request/first-use?). So we were somewhat OK with drop Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN in favor of Hiragino Sans (but see OP re we are not Japanese font experts) to avoid any footguns. Do you have any insights on this - is Hiragino superior from a user perspective and is it guaranteed to be on 10.15+ for all mac users?
https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/applications/tor-browser/-/issues/43378#note_3145930
links
- https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/applications/tor-browser/-/issues/43378 mac: review allowed system fonts
- https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/applications/tor-browser/-/issues/43322 Stop blocking all fonts in FontFace (aka move to font.vis)
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Comment 4•3 months ago
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We explicitly enables all "document fonts" including "Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN". Unlike downloadable fonts, we can consider them always available. See bug 1835271 for details.
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Comment 5•3 months ago
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Not sure if I explained it very well. We are not worried about FPP's font.vis list - but the availability of the font by default on mac systems (10.15+) - apple doc don't list it, it doesn't show in font book, and yet it is available. Not sure what "document fonts" means in this context.
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Comment 6•3 months ago
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I mean document-support fonts. "Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN" is listed here. Where did you look and say "apple doc don't list it"?
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Comment 7•3 months ago
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Right! So we (Tor Browser) are looking at Installed or downloadable fonts only ("Most of these fonts are installed and enabled automatically") - as Document Fonts may not be present ("These fonts are available only to documents that already use the font, or to apps that request the font by name. Some are older fonts that were included with earlier versions of macOS or Apple apps. ".) and in Tor Browser we need to guarantee that all fonts and only those fonts in our list are present
So we were concerned as to why all our mac versions seem to have the font by default. All our other allowed fonts are bundled or expected system fonts by "default" (installed or downloadable)
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Comment 8•3 months ago
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(In reply to Thorin [:thorin] from comment #7)
These fonts are available only ... or to apps that request the font by name.
So I said "We explicitly enables all "document fonts" including "Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN". Unlike downloadable fonts, we can consider them always available."
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Comment 9•3 months ago
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OK, thanks. Not quite what I was asking. Sorry for the noise. We'll work it out ourselves :)
We are not worried about FPP's font.vis list
We use our own font.vis lists at TB (we bundle some 120+ fonts but require some system ones as well) and were wondering if excluding Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN (because we are concerned about availability for all users) and adding Hirango Sans instead would have any implications for users - i.e users of japanese writing systems (and we are not japanese writing system font experts).
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