TrueType fonts in X.
[ i'm not subscribed to this list, so please cc: me on every reply. thanx. ] Hello there, I think there're several truetype font packages for the use in X, though some problems are left unsolved. #1) Policy does not permit the TrueType subdirectory under /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts, but some ttfs use such an unpermitted directories. #2) Backend of TTF handling and .scale problem. X4 provides two backends to handle truetype fonts: freetype and xtt. Both of them have specific syntax for a .scale file, especially xtt's .scale file accepts TTCap which enables dynamic decoration of truetype fonts. Mixture of these incompatible .scale files under /etc/X11/fonts/TrueType would cause a problem, and inconsistency between which backend a .scale file is for and which backend is acutally used, would also cause a problem. The problem #2 tells each truetype package may have to provide two .scale files, for freetype backend and xtt backend, and a common interface to choose which backend is used. ttf-xtt- packages, which contain Japanese TrueType fonts take an appropriate way to handle two .scale files and backend-choosing interface. They contain .scale files for both freetype and xtt backends somewhere under /etc, and create symlinks of either of the .scale files under /etc/X11/fonts. They make use of Debconf for the interface to choose the backend. Another solution is using Defoma framework: each truetype font package does not touch the backend or a .scale file, or even update-fonts-scale or mkfontdir. Instead Defoma script generates .scale file for all registered truetype fonts, suited to the selected backend, and calls update-fonts-scale and mkfontdir. The suprious point of this way is, which backend .scale file is for can be switched at once. Now, which way to go? Or do you have another solution? This problem must be solved before woody release, because some current truetype font packages violates policy. -- Yasuhiro Take aka hirot / [EMAIL PROTECTED] Debian Project http://www.debian.org PGP signature
Re: TrueType fonts in X.
Hello Take-san, I just noticed yesterday that both defoma and gs-5.50 (with defoma support) are in the Debian unstable archive now. I was pleasantly surprised! :-) Yes, it is a goal that the font packages migrate to use defoma, at least for the Chinese fonts that the Debian Chinese Project is doing. Having said that, I probably won't have time to look into it until mid or late April because of all the projects at school that are due very soon now. (And I am really behind... Yikes!) Anyhow, I am interested in what Branden thinks too and it would be great if you, Branden and other developers could work out the migration strategy or even put everything into the Debian Policy eventually. :-) Thanks a lot for your great work! The defoma framework opens up great opportunity for better font management and user-installable fonts etc. etc. :-) Cheers, Anthony -- Anthony Fok Tung-LingCivil and Environmental Engineering [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]University of Alberta, Canada Debian GNU/Linux Chinese Project -- http://www.debian.org/intl/zh/ Come visit Our Lady of Victory Camp -- http://www.olvc.ab.ca/ -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
TrueType fonts in X.
[ i'm not subscribed to this list, so please cc: me on every reply. thanx. ] Hello there, I think there're several truetype font packages for the use in X, though some problems are left unsolved. #1) Policy does not permit the TrueType subdirectory under /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts, but some ttfs use such an unpermitted directories. #2) Backend of TTF handling and .scale problem. X4 provides two backends to handle truetype fonts: freetype and xtt. Both of them have specific syntax for a .scale file, especially xtt's .scale file accepts TTCap which enables dynamic decoration of truetype fonts. Mixture of these incompatible .scale files under /etc/X11/fonts/TrueType would cause a problem, and inconsistency between which backend a .scale file is for and which backend is acutally used, would also cause a problem. The problem #2 tells each truetype package may have to provide two .scale files, for freetype backend and xtt backend, and a common interface to choose which backend is used. ttf-xtt- packages, which contain Japanese TrueType fonts take an appropriate way to handle two .scale files and backend-choosing interface. They contain .scale files for both freetype and xtt backends somewhere under /etc, and create symlinks of either of the .scale files under /etc/X11/fonts. They make use of Debconf for the interface to choose the backend. Another solution is using Defoma framework: each truetype font package does not touch the backend or a .scale file, or even update-fonts-scale or mkfontdir. Instead Defoma script generates .scale file for all registered truetype fonts, suited to the selected backend, and calls update-fonts-scale and mkfontdir. The suprious point of this way is, which backend .scale file is for can be switched at once. Now, which way to go? Or do you have another solution? This problem must be solved before woody release, because some current truetype font packages violates policy. -- Yasuhiro Take aka hirot / [EMAIL PROTECTED] Debian Project http://www.debian.org pgpUSfkriRtXo.pgp Description: PGP signature
Re: TrueType fonts in X.
Hello Take-san, I just noticed yesterday that both defoma and gs-5.50 (with defoma support) are in the Debian unstable archive now. I was pleasantly surprised! :-) Yes, it is a goal that the font packages migrate to use defoma, at least for the Chinese fonts that the Debian Chinese Project is doing. Having said that, I probably won't have time to look into it until mid or late April because of all the projects at school that are due very soon now. (And I am really behind... Yikes!) Anyhow, I am interested in what Branden thinks too and it would be great if you, Branden and other developers could work out the migration strategy or even put everything into the Debian Policy eventually. :-) Thanks a lot for your great work! The defoma framework opens up great opportunity for better font management and user-installable fonts etc. etc. :-) Cheers, Anthony -- Anthony Fok Tung-LingCivil and Environmental Engineering [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]University of Alberta, Canada Debian GNU/Linux Chinese Project -- http://www.debian.org/intl/zh/ Come visit Our Lady of Victory Camp -- http://www.olvc.ab.ca/
