On the net, many treatises talk about the .otf format as "stronger" or "more stable" than the .ttf, and the fact that the .otf have features that the .ttf do not have, like ligatures, small caps, alternates etc.
See for example this page (I don't know how old):
Yet many .ttfs allow me to use those features not only with LaTeX, but also on LibrOffice. Now what is the current situation? I don't want to open the usual inconclusive flame, but are there reasons to prefer .otf to .ttf?
Comments
Windows typically does better with TrueType fonts provided they are well-hinted. On the Mac, you likely won't see a difference. I can't comment on rendering in Linux.
From a practical point of view, I see all very well on Linux,
without all the troubles od Windows rendering
I thought that the extensions were preserved because the outlines and (auto)hinting were actually different.
This backwards compatibility aspect of TrueType OT fonts has persisted even to the most recent versions of the OT format. It is possible to install a variable OT font on older systems without OT variation support and the default instance of that variable font will function as a simple, static TTF.