Glyphs 4 – the leading Mac font editor • Hacker News Board

Glyphs 4 – the leading Mac font editor

#1

Post by microflash » Tue, Jul 28, 2026, 3:06 PM UTC

Glyphs 4 – the leading Mac font editor
glyphsapp.com

Re: Glyphs 4 – the leading Mac font editor

#2

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Aug 01, 2026, 6:32 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Glyphs 4 – the leading Mac font editor

#3

Post by zvr » Sat, Aug 01, 2026, 6:58 PM UTC

I think every professional type designer I know uses this software.

I have trouble coming up with any other example of total domination of a market segment. Maybe Photoshop in its glory days, or Quark Xpress before that, but even in those cases, there were alternatives in (minor) use.

Re: Glyphs 4 – the leading Mac font editor

#4

Post by asibahi » Sat, Aug 01, 2026, 7:06 PM UTC

zvr wrote: post #3

I think every professional type designer I know uses this software. I have trouble coming up with any other example of total domination of a market segment. Maybe Photoshop in its glory days, or Quark Xpress before that, but even in those cases, there were alternatives in (minor) use.

Plenty of alternatives to Glyphs. FontForge and Robofont both come to mind.

Re: Glyphs 4 – the leading Mac font editor

#5

Post by Tomte » Sat, Aug 01, 2026, 7:15 PM UTC

zvr wrote: post #3

I think every professional type designer I know uses this software. I have trouble coming up with any other example of total domination of a market segment. Maybe Photoshop in its glory days, or Quark Xpress before that, but even in those cases, there were alternatives in (minor) use.

Fontographer and later Fontlab were totally dominant, and they still have a huge market share.

Re: Glyphs 4 – the leading Mac font editor

#6

Post by sterlind » Sat, Aug 01, 2026, 7:27 PM UTC

asibahi wrote: post #4

zvr wrote: post #3

I think every professional type designer I know uses this software. I have trouble coming up with any other example of total domination of a market segment. Maybe Photoshop in its glory days, or Quark Xpress before that, but even in those cases, there were alternatives in (minor) use.

Plenty of alternatives to Glyphs. FontForge and Robofont both come to mind.

please find me a single professional font designer who uses FontForge. just one.

I use FontForge because I'm a pleb hobbyist without a Mac, but it's like comparing yachts and life rafts.

Re: Glyphs 4 – the leading Mac font editor

#7

Post by dcrazy » Sat, Aug 01, 2026, 7:38 PM UTC

Still no new Glyphs Mini, though. :(

Re: Glyphs 4 – the leading Mac font editor

#8

Post by dcrazy » Sat, Aug 01, 2026, 7:38 PM UTC

zvr wrote: post #3

I think every professional type designer I know uses this software. I have trouble coming up with any other example of total domination of a market segment. Maybe Photoshop in its glory days, or Quark Xpress before that, but even in those cases, there were alternatives in (minor) use.

Microsoft Excel after 1-2-3 (the previous dominator) and before Google Sheets? Word after WordPerfect (close to dominant) and before Google Docs? PowerPoint before Keynote?

Re: Glyphs 4 – the leading Mac font editor

#9

Post by tribby » Sat, Aug 01, 2026, 8:22 PM UTC

zvr wrote: post #3

I think every professional type designer I know uses this software. I have trouble coming up with any other example of total domination of a market segment. Maybe Photoshop in its glory days, or Quark Xpress before that, but even in those cases, there were alternatives in (minor) use.

It’s possible you have a small sample.. I have not noticed “total domination” myself. The type foundries I know and sometimes work with are split. Many use RoboFont. FontLab is less common, but there are some shops that have invested in it deeply enough they’re still using older versions, even. And others develop their own tools, like Fontra, to better address challenges in CJK type design

RoboFont is deeply tied to the Type & Media program at KABK in the Hague. And it has a long history, building off what came before - it is both font software and pedagogy. My memory on this isn’t perfect but I believe Glyphs and RoboFont were both proposals around the time the UFO spec was being formalized

Re: Glyphs 4 – the leading Mac font editor

#10

Post by idisocjwodj » Sat, Aug 01, 2026, 10:39 PM UTC

zvr wrote: post #3

I think every professional type designer I know uses this software. I have trouble coming up with any other example of total domination of a market segment. Maybe Photoshop in its glory days, or Quark Xpress before that, but even in those cases, there were alternatives in (minor) use.

Adobe’s Illustrator and Photoshop are unquestionably dominant in their own markets.

Yes, there are alternatives. Yes, there are people using the alternatives. No, the alternatives do not hold any meaningful percentage of the design software market.

Adobe sucks but no alternative comes even close to Photoshop and Illustrator.