Building TrueType Open fonts is significantly simpler than GX fonts, but it falls well short of the amazing typographic capabilities of GX. For instance, TrueType Open fonts cannot deal with interpolated font variations.
Microsoft announced TrueType Open in 1995 shortly before the launch of Windows 95, which implemented parts of it. However, it is made clear that the format expects much to be left up to the application developers to parse the TT Open tables directly. Only then will the functionality the font developer intended be acheived.
The Future
TrueType Open is evolving into OpenType, the joint venture between Microsoft and Adobe that brings together TrueType and Type 1. Since this will include Type 1's multiple master technology, OpenType will be more of a match for TrueType GX - although a relatively "cobbled together" solution.
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