Re: better back-art support in core

[Stefan Urbanek]

On 2003-06-07 06:32:44 +0200 Travis Tilley <aphelion@snet.net> wrote:

> On Fri, 2003-06-06 at 23:46, Adam Fedor wrote:
>
> > Definitely. I'd like to see back-art be easily installable so it can become the 
> > default backend.
>
> Oh please don't... I'd really hate to force back-art's dependencies and
> font hell on anyone. Just downgrading freetype2 would suck, because not
> only would i have to downgrade, i'd have to keep track of dependencies
> to make sure i didn't break anything, make sure nothing was compiled
> using the newer freetype due to api changes, make sure gentoo never
> upgrades freetype during system updates (which i do almost every damned
> day and is a very automated process that would suddenly NOT be if i
> needed to make sure freetype never got upgraded), patch any additional
> packages that get updated and depend on newer versions of freetype if i
> should want to upgrade them ever again, etc etc etc.... In summary, it's
> a big @%#$ing pain in the ass... one I have yet to need to repeat for
> another app that depends on freetype.

Art is not becoming default backend until those problems you mentioned are 
solved. Btw. i have same dificulties with maintaining dependencies for older 
freetype packages.

> Oh yeah, plus I like being able to use the system's available fonts and
> would prefer not having to install fonts JUST for gnustep that are
> usable ONLY by gnustep. But I guess that's a matter of personal
> preference.

Well, fact is that gnustep requires its own font handling. Mainly because fonts 
are not used only for displaying, but also for generating postscript (and pdf) 
output. Therefore we need either some system-dependent gnustep font manager 
(which is not gnustep-back dependet) or 'fonts JUST for gnustep that are usable 
ONLY by gnustep'. Using only X fonts is not sufficient and you still need some 
gnustep specific management (to convert screen fonts to printer fonts and vice 
versa, and to get apropriate postscript font name and font data for inlining).

Gnustep should either:
- have a tool that will generate .nfont/.font packages from X11 fonts in (for 
example) Local/Library/Fonts/X11. Problem with X font management is that it is 
screen oriented (even you have type1 or tt fonts there).
or
- have following architecture (view the table in some proportional width font)

+---------------------------------+
|               gui               |
+--------------+------------------+
| font manager |                  |
|    bundle    |                  |
+    +=========+                  |
|    |        backend bundle      |
+----+----------------------------+
|    host environment/os          |
+---------------------------------+

In this diagram ===== represents font rendering/glyph layout interface with 
backend.
Stefan Urbanek
--
http://urbanek.host.sk

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you 
win.
- Mahatma Gandhi