Deploying new font technologies to legacy operating systems

A client font manager comprising:

• one or more processors configured to execute an operating system;
• a dynamic font module executable by said one or more processors, wherein said dynamic font module comprises one or more stub fonts each corresponding to a new font technology, and wherein the dynamic font module is adapted to
• receive manifest information for a selected font, wherein said manifest information comprises a flag indicating whether said selected font is a new technology font, and wherein successful activation of the new technology font requires that the operating system provide certain baseline functionality, and
• make a first determination that the flag is set, and in response to making the first determination, causing said operating system to attempt to activate a particular stub font corresponding to the new technology font;
• and
• a client font synchronization module executable by said one or more processors, wherein said client synchronization module is adapted to make a second determination that the particular, stub font is successfully activated, and in response to making the second determination, further cause the new technology font to be downloaded.

A computer program product including one or more non-transitory machine-readable mediums encoded with instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause a process to be carried out for performing client font management, said process comprising:

• receiving, at a client device executing an operating system, a font selection parameter identifying a selected font;
• receiving manifest information for said selected font wherein said manifest information comprises an indication whether said selected font is a new technology font, and wherein successful activation of the new technology font requires that the operating system provide certain baseline functionality;
• making a first determination that the indication is affirmative, and in response to making the first determination, causing said operating system to attempt to activate a stub font corresponding to said new technology font;
• and
• making a second determination that said stub font is successfully activated, and in response to making the second determination, making said new technology font available to said operating system.