Using an existing font for the sake of using it is << creating a new font and open sourcing it. More choice is good (especially with something like fonts) and open sourcing it is just icing on the cake. Everyone wins.
PS: Thanks for the tip on Futura, I had not heard of it before.
I understand how creating a ‘new’ font and open sourcing it makes sense for Ubuntu and Firefox, where lots of unpaid workers need to share assets. I don’t see how it would benefit companies like Apple and Microsoft. Back in the early 80s, Apple commissioned a custom version of ITC Garamond to suit its needs better. Bitstream named it ’Apple Garamond’. As with many proprietary corporate fonts, that font was never released or open sourced, in large part because it was an integral to Apple’s brand identity.
