The future of XOPQ about amstelvar HOT 2 OPEN

(Related to googlefonts/roboto-flex#133)

I’d like to propose that the XOPQ axis be hidden from UI

I thought that was a given, and all parametric axes will be flagged as "hidden from default UIs". The only axes in this and Flex I expect to not be flagged are wght, wdth, opsz and GRAD.

In your email earlier today that I suggested we ought to discuss here as an issue, you wrote,

All the other axes we’ve proposed are in use for something or another, and seem worth showing users in programs. GRAD, XTRA, YOPQ, YTRA and other YT**, have all found their values, ranges and uses.

However, the majority of users aren't concerned with these uses, and I think its better to only offer the above 4, which are OS/2 values or (nominally, alas) Pt size values, which are more familiar to the majority of users.

That is, unless XTRA is forced to OS/2 width units, which hopefully would show the folly of such values as it would not any longer relate to the value systems of tracking or word space control, both of which use objective values like XTRA does now.

I don't see any reason to move XTRA away from a per-mille (1000) range; possibly since it relates to CSS letter-spacing then it might be better on a per-2x-mille (2000) range, as discussed with DJR at https://twitter.com/djrrb/status/1389542650827653122 - but I think 1000 is good as that is consistent with all other parametric axes (assuming we don't talk about GRAD as parametric)

Back at XOPQ, it is left as possibly the least useful axis to manipulate, but it is the only parametric measure of weight left, after grade was os/2ized.

So I am proposing we hide the parametric XOPQ to the UI but leave it in the vf for reference to the actual parametric weight of the style.

This would apply to Roboto Flex and Amstelvar.

There are reasons to want to adjust XOPQ independent of YOPQ (and GRAD which is both) so I agree we should keep it in the release builds.

from amstelvar.

Dave, all of our previous assumptions were based on the given that hidden axis would be hidden. So, we’ll do so and see, but so far apps are not very good even at showing axes, much less hiding them;)

If that continues, and if you only want to show “the 4” people know about, what then?

from amstelvar.