Re: [Devel] bytecode interpreter vs. autohinter

[Vincent Caron]

Maurizio Colucci wrote:
> On Thursday 10 April 2003 08:06, Keith Packard wrote:
>
> > We should also be receiving libre fonts from Bitstream in the near future
> > which are exceptionally well hinted and which perform quite a bit better
> > with the bytecode interpreter than with the autohinter.  If, as I hope,
> > these fonts become commonplace in Linux applications, then many people
> > will greatly benefit from the interpreter.

That comes to mind. I can see the bool parameters 'hinting' and 
'autohint' in fontconfig, so everything is in place to provide this 
per-face hinter preference ? (Provided the user has a bytecode enabled 
FreeType library) That would be the end of Anthony's dilemna.


> Does anybody know if MS Cleartype and Mac os X are taking account of
> the bytecodes?

MS uses so called GASP tables in their TrueType fonts, which tell the 
renderer wether to turn antialiasing and/or hinting on/off, depending on 
pixel size (sort of 'in place' fontconfig options). When ClearType is 
turned on, antialiasing is always on, and R.C. van Dalen seems to 
believe that hinting is still honored (wich makes sense).