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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 / <take@debian.org>
Debian Project
http://www.debian.org


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