tag 237877 + wontfix thanks On Sun, Mar 14, 2004 at 12:34:44AM +0100, Frank Murphy wrote: > Package: xdm > Subject: should xdm still force a dpi 100 by default? > Version: 4.3.0-5 > Severity: wishlist > Tags: patch sid > > xdm's Xserver file overrides all DPI settings with 100. The old > Netscape font HOWTO recommended that the Xserver's DPI be set to 100 > to get bigger fonts, but with the recent changes to XFree's font > handling, that shouldn't be needed anymore. I didn't know the Netscape Font HOWTO said that; I made the decision to have xinit and xdm default to 100dpi for a few reasons: 1) the 100dpi fonts looked better; 2) some drivers back in XFree86 3.3.6 would calculate the dpi for themselves, but the rotten font rasterizers distributed with X at that time would result in truly illegible glyphs; 3) in my experience, most users were using display modes for their monitors that were far closer to 100dpi (often exceeding it) than 75dpi; and 4) the 100dpi defaults are manifest only in conffiles, so if people think I'm a wrong and evil person for going with 100dpi, they can always change it (see the Debian X FAQ[1] for more on this). I do admit that Xft is driving a nail through #1, and XFree86 4.x has probably rendered #2 moot. Nevertheless, I haven't changed my thinking on this quite yet. IMO, the ideal fix is to add a "-softdpi" option to the X server, which is *only* used if the underlying driver is unable to figure out a DPI by querying the monitor (and if the DisplaySize configuration keyword is not used in XF86Config-4). If implemented, I absolutely would switch the conffiles to using that instead of -dpi. > If you agree, please apply the attached patch. If not, please explain > why here and close this wishlist bug. Because this decision is a judgement call, I am tagging the bug "wontfix" instead of closing it. Hopefully my reasoning is clear to you, even if you do not agree with my conclusion. Thanks for your report. [1] http://necrotic.deadbeast.net/xsf/XFree86/trunk/debian/local/FAQ -- G. Branden Robinson | Optimists believe we live in the Debian GNU/Linux | best of all possible worlds. branden@debian.org | Pessimists are afraid the optimists http://people.debian.org/~branden/ | are right about that.
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