Question 1: What does the Font Updater do?
Answer: Many older 2-byte (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) fonts were created in a format that stored 'fbit' bitmapped data in files outside the font's suitcase, in the root level of the System Folder. With Mac OS 8.5 and later, Apple moved to an improved data structure for 2-byte fonts, storing all the font data within the font's suitcase.
If you are using Mac OS 9, and have custom installed any of the 2-byte Language Kits, you already have the latest Apple fonts. If you have older third party 2-byte fonts which use fbit data, convert them using the Font Updater utility.
If you still see fbit files inside your System Folder after you have used the Font Updater, this is normal, and was done to maintain compatibility with some older applications that still look for the fbit files.
Question 2: When is the Font Updater utility installed?
Answer: If you are using Mac OS 9, and have used the Mac OS 9 Custom Install option to install the Chinese, Japanese, or Korean Kits, the Font Updater application and the Font Updater extension are both installed, in the Utilities and Extensions folders, respectively.
Question 3: What does the Font Updater Extension do?
Answer: If there are any fonts in the Fonts folder of the System Folder which need to be updated, they will be updated during startup when the Font Updater Extension loads. An indicator bar will appear showing the progress of the update for each font which is being updated.
Question 4: Is this utility related to the Font Manager Update for Mac OS 8.6?
Answer: No. The Font Manager Update 1.0 corrects unrelated issues with character height in some 2-byte fonts and font corruption. If you are using Mac OS 8.6, you should install Font Manager Update. The functionality of Font Manager Update 1.0 is incorporated into Mac OS 9.
Important: See also the following Tech Info Library article:
Article 60468: "
Mac OS 9: Do Not Install Older Language Kits"
For more information about the Font Manager Update for Mac OS 8.6, see the following Tech Info Library article:
Article 60444: "
Font Manager Update 1.0: Read Me"
For information about 2-byte fonts, see the following Tech Info Library article:
Article 31106: "
WorldScript: 1-byte and 2-byte Script Systems Explained"