Easy way to download and install MS Fonts

[juliusknorr]

We should make sure we have the default MS Office ones - that will make sure documents from MS Office look good. Really key, I think, to ensure a good experience, as MS Office fonts and docs are used the most.

I think to ship proprietary Microsoft fonts you might have to do what Linux distributions do - download them on demand. You are likely not allowed to ship them, but they can be downloaded for free.

@juliushaertl wrote:
I'm not sure, Microsoft has a dedicated option to buy a server license

https://www.fonts.com/content/microsoft-typography

Apart from the document embedding rights described previously, you may not redistribute the Windows fonts. You may not copy them to other computers or servers, and you may not convert them to other formats, including bitmap formats, or modify them.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/fonts/font-faq

Yes, you and me can not do that. But a user (AKA the server admin) can dowload them for themselves. The fonts do not leave the one server and they are not distributing them.

This is how Linux distributions do it - they don't ship them. They have a script or a package that contains a script that asks the user to agree to the EULA and then downloads and installs them.

So we will need the same - a button in the UI that says "install Microsoft fonts" which then shows the EULA and then grabs them. I am sure we can't ship them and I don't think we can auto-accept the EULA like OO does.

Originally posted by @jospoortvliet in #3139 (comment)

https://git.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/msttcorefonts/tree/update-ms-fonts#n34

https://github.com/pop-os/msttcorefonts/blob/master_jammy/debian/postinst#L70-L80

[juliusknorr]

• Show a button to install MS fonts
• Modal for EULA, Accept
• Progress indicator and show success directly

[luka-nextcloud]

@juliushaertl Regarding the fonts, does user have to download font files manually and then upload to install OR font files are downloaded automatically from a static url?

[juliusknorr]

We would introduce a HTTP endpoint in the richdocuments app where the Nextcloud backend can download the files and store them, we just need to let the user manually trigger it and cannot automatically perform those downloads. Does that make it clearer?

[luka-nextcloud]

Is the HTTP endpoint ready?
What is the file type downloaded from above endpoint? Is it a .zip file?

[juliusknorr]

Checking what the distributions do this seems more complex https://github.com/pop-os/msttcorefonts/blob/master_jammy/debian/postinst#L70-L80

They download exe files (self extracting) from https://sourceforge.net/projects/corefonts/files/the%20fonts/ and extracts them with cabextract there is also a php sample https://github.com/lsauer/php-cab-reader/blob/master/cabreader.php, however I'm not really convinced we should go either way

[jospoortvliet]

I see we decided not to do it, perhaps we can put our full argumentation against it here before closing it. For the fidelity of documents it is a high impact feature, so we should have strong legal or technical reasons ;-)

[juliusknorr]

Sure, quoting from chat:

About the "Office: Easy way to download and install MS fonts" feature, we ran into some problems this week with trying to push this feature forward that I don't see a proper solution for.

The only way that those fonts are offered for download is a self-extracting exe file that we cannot handle on the Nextcloud side to get the actual ttf file. Linux distributions use a cli tool "cabextract" but we cannot really rely on that and also download and extracting files from random sources sounds dangerous. We also cannot host those fonts ourselves due to the license.

Maybe we can add a link to the Admin page pointing to the download. So that people can do it manually

I’d also extend the documentation to suggest distribution packages that do this more prominent

[luka-nextcloud]

add a link to the Admin page pointing to the download. So that people can do it manually

Is it the final decision? What is the link? Is it https://downloads.sourceforge.net/corefonts/?

[juliusknorr]

The sourceforge link is not directly usable as there are only exe files. My suggestion would be:

• Extend documentation in https://github.com/nextcloud/documentation/blob/master/admin_manual/office/configuration.rst#custom-fonts
  • Add note that people can copy Microsoft from an existing windows installation from C:\Windows\Fonts to the Collabora server
  • On ubuntu we can recommend to use the ttf-mscorefonts-installer package to install fonts to the Collabora server

apt-add-repository multiverse
apt update
apt install fontconfig ttf-mscorefonts-installer

[luka-nextcloud]

@juliushaertl As I understand, what should be done:

1. Update the nextcloud document to guide users how to download MS fonts
2. Update richdocument setting screen (font install section) to provide document link to the updated section above

Please confirm.

[NikoKS]

@luka-nextcloud, I followed the link: https://docs.nextcloud.com/server/latest/admin_manual/office/configuration.html#custom-fonts, but cannot find any mention of where to download MS fonts.

Am I missing something?