How does this work ?

davidktw

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Dear readers,

There should be quite a number of frontend developers here in the forum and hence I have an interesting question to share.
Feel free to attempt the question and provide your answer/findings.

NOTE: For the benefit of every reader where they may be interested to venture on their own, I would urge that any answers
post here to be placed inside a SPOILER container so that everyone can have the opportunity to figure it out on their own.

Question.

1. Open your browser to the following site:
https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/
2. Look at the page which correspond to this screenshot
RQmXzSg.png


3. How does the "iJ" (circled in red) get displayed this way ?

What technology that make this possible ?
Do provide writeup on your investigative work and evidences to support your claims.
It can be screenshots, references to authoritative documentation such as RFCs, source code, articles, etc that describe how it works.

Have fun investigating...

:)
 

davidktw

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Reserved for my findings later...

Update:

As a closure to this question. @TrueBeliever_jh has done everyone a favour in providing the solution in post #28.

I hope it has provided the audiences a new perspective to the font-engine and font, knowing what else it can do for you.

Here I have a little demo of how it will also work in your some of your Terminals (eg: Apple Terminal)
Q4mO4UE.png

Have fun.
:)
 
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peterchan75

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Sorry for off topic. Just taking a dig on java. It was a programming language touted to be on everything. Alas, it's Android now. Oracle sued Google for infringing copyright. Google going kotlin?
 

davidktw

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Sorry for off topic. Just taking a dig on java. It was a programming language touted to be on everything. Alas, it's Android now. Oracle sued Google for infringing copyright. Google going kotlin?
Java is not Android. Android is a Linux platform, where it previously provided the Dalvik virtual machine to execute compiled Java byte codes. Later Google upgraded it to ART. https://source.android.com/devices/tech/dalvik. Both of these JVM are not derivatives nor clones of Sun Microsystem's JVM implementation, which now is Oracle's IP. The law suit between Oracle and Google is mostly on the part where Oracle claimed Google infringed Oracle's IP on Java's API and some source code. The verdict made at the Supreme Court so far in 2021 is that Google is within fair use of the API. The industry is largely debating on whether API could be copyrighted, because having so would create fragmented interfaces which impede interoperability within the industry. Google won the lawsuit to date. Refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_LLC_v._Oracle_America,_Inc.#Decision for more information.

As such, I don't think Kotlin was created because of the reason. Kotlin first appear in 2011, while the case of Oracle vs Google started in 2010. Given the short time frame between the 2 events and undertaking a new programming language is no small feat, Kotlin must be in works even before 2010. Moreover Kotlin is developed by Jetbrains (https://www.infoworld.com/article/2622405/jetbrains-readies-jvm-based-language.html) not Google. Google going to Kotlin is more like Apple offer Swift over Obj-C, providing the main bulk of developers with a more expressive programming language to enhance productivity. However take note, Kotlin still compile to Java byte codes which are run in Google's own brew of JVM.

:)
 

peterchan75

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Larry E was trying to crash the Android party with the lawsuit. I brought Android because Sun was promoting java as the software engine for all electronic devices. Android is now the set top box, car audio system, smart TV etc. It could be very well running on java but it's OS that count. Anyway, Symbian OS was driven by hand phone makers but they too focus on hardware unlike apple and google. So, java still have a long way to go? What about python?
 

davidktw

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Larry E was trying to crash the Android party with the lawsuit. I brought Android because Sun was promoting java as the software engine for all electronic devices. Android is now the set top box, car audio system, smart TV etc. It could be very well running on java but it's OS that count. Anyway, Symbian OS was driven by hand phone makers but they too focus on hardware unlike apple and google. So, java still have a long way to go? What about python?

If C and C++ survived for decades, likely will Java. If there is a dotnet, there will always be a non-microsoft counterpart. Big companies like Oracle, IBM, Redhat, Azul, Google are still on Java. Communities/Companies like Apache, Eclipse, Netbeans, IntelliJ, Elastic.co, Hazelcast are still on Java. Not to mention Minecraft Java edition game too?

There are so many JVM languages running using the JVM which makes all the sense for Java to continue exist since it is the first hosted language on the JVM and it is designed for it. You have gradle which is somewhat trying to overtake maven. Gradle runs on Groovy and Groovy runs on JVM. You have Kotlin also using Java. There are still things as small as SIM card running Javacard technology by Gemalto. Mash all these together, can you see how big and interconnected all these technologies are.

Python has it place, but I don’t see it replacing or capable of filling in the void that Java will create if it suddenly vanish from the industry. Java may evolve over time, but IMHO, it’s time is not up yet.

:)
 

davidktw

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No [frontend] developers in this forum knows how the texts are displayed in that manner?

:)
 

peterchan75

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No [frontend] developers in this forum knows how the texts are displayed in that manner?

:)
I am no java and browser expert. I cut and paste into notepad and it becomes i and j. I use MS Word to raise i and condense i and J and I get the following. Close enough?

char2.png
 

davidktw

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I am no java and browser expert. I cut and paste into notepad and it becomes i and j. I use MS Word to raise i and condense i and J and I get the following. Close enough?

char2.png

Take a close look at the source code of the webpage and tell me what you see. In fact source code would be incorrect. You will want to take a look at the DOM, inspecting it using the web developer tool found in most(if not all) modern browsers today. DOM will provide you with the most current document structure that is used for the webpage rendering. Do you see anything that adjust the position of the characters?

The question is how they did it, not how to replicate it in different methods.

Do take another stab at it.

:)
 
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xcodes

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Invite @xcodes and @nubitol.
I know Trader11 banned yet again.

:)


thank you for inviting me, bro davidktw ... :)

let me do a quick guess, it's done using ...


Scalable Vector Graphics?


didn't know Trader11 got banned ... :oops:
hopes he comes back soon ...
 

davidktw

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thank you for inviting me, bro davidktw ... :)

let me do a quick guess, it's done using ...

...
Appreciate for the participation!
Good try, but try again!

Inspect the element, look at the DOM and see if it matches your answer.

:)
 
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nubitol

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Unicode font, character map, icon emoji or symbols

Some kind of vector
 

davidktw

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Unicode font, character map, icon emoji or symbols

Some kind of vector

Sounds like a whole lot of possibilities and some magic? Perhaps something more scientific?

Please do put your solution inside a spoiler?
Thanks

:)
 

TrueBeliever_jh

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Interesting find. I dun have an answer.

I only see that 'JetBrains Sans' font family might be the answer.. but using a woff2 viewer can't seem to emulate the same effect.

lWzKUaq.png


NHc11g2.png



Oh well.. i got something to rush.. why am I looking at this~? 😸
 
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davidktw

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Interesting find. I dun have an answer.

I only see that 'JetBrains Sans' font family might be the answer.. but using a woff2 viewer can't seem to emulate the same effect.



Oh well.. i got something to rush.. why am I looking at this~? 😸

Well keep trying then. It is your choice to proceed or not. Only you yourself can answer why.

Sure there is such a glyph. Did the DOM shows you that it is using it?

:)
 
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