For professional typeface designers, the transition to FontLab 8 meant moving into a modernized environment where performance was up to than previous iterations. Version 8222 was a bridge that solidified these new "spark of magic" features:
It fixed specific rendering issues, such as Power Brush True Fill rendering and italic sidebearing calculations for elements with strokes. A Global Toolset fontlab-8-0-0-8222
If you're looking to dive into type design today, the current FontLab 8 offers a for both Mac and Windows. For professional typeface designers