ttf-mscorefonts-installer Package - Don't be Fooled!

So, you think that by installing the ttf-mscorefonts-installer package via KPackageKit that you now have access to the Microsoft fonts? Well, if you have installed the package via the software manager, it's worth checking that it's been properly installed!

To check, open a terminal and type:

locate Arial

If you return to your command prompt without listing any files or directories, the package hasn't been installed even though KPackageKit lists it as an installed package. This may be the result of a bug in KPackageKit that prevents the user from accessing (or, even seeing) the End User Licence (EUL) Agreement.

There are a couple of ways of fixing this, but I found the easiest was to purge the existing package (using the terminal):

sudo apt-get purge ttf-mscorefonts-installer

And then reinstall the package (again, using the terminal rather than KPackageKit):

sudo apt-get install ttf-mscorefonts-installer

Now the Microsoft EUL Agreement screen should appear:

The MS End User Licence Agreement

• Hit TAB to highlight the < OK > option in the EUL Agreement screen and press Enter.
• Select < Yes > in the next (Configuring ttf-mscorefonts-installer) screen.
  
  
  Select "Yes" to continue with the Installation
• When the package has finished installing (you return to your command prompt), force the cache to reload:
  
  sudo fc-cache -f -v
  
  
• Now check that your fonts are installed:
  
  locate Arial

Now you should be able to select the fonts for use in the System Settings and application properties dialogs.

Sources & references:

• None