...first, I'll note that when the OpenOffice guys presented at SVLUG some time back (~ 1 yr.) and mentioned the issues they'd had in packaging their fonts, my response was that they should be installing them to /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/, so that other applications could use them.

Computerized realtime typesetting (websurfing, and a host of similar activites, essentially) turns on its head the idea that a document is written, typeset, and distributed, by reversing the last two steps.

The consequence is that, if a goal is uniform presentation of printed material across a wide range of computing platforms (and this arguably is not Microsoft's goal -- theirs is for a narrow range), then the subsidy/distribution model for computer fonts needs to be significantly changed. Typically, the end user doesn't particularly care. The folks who do care are the document designers themselves (who may be users), and to a lesser extent, vendors of hardware or software.

Note that the font market isn't end-user supported currently anyway: software OS vendors buy, package, and distribute fonts. This is one of a large number of indirect markets (these are more common than many people think: defense, education, health, roads, radio, and television are among the more significant). What I see isn't a drive for individuals to sponsor and sell fonts, but for a different indirect mechanism, likely either a web publishing orgainization, or a standards group (a' la W3C) to at least play a role in distributing a common, standardized set of fonts, with meoney coming likely from large publishing and computing interests, with a horizon that crosses platforms.

And because these fonts are the ones which are widely available, they will be the ones designers choose. Strong positive feedback loop there.