RE: setting default font name

[Drew Adams]

> > Do you have that bitstream font installed?
> 
> Good question. I assumed I did because in emacs menu, I can go to
> Options, Set Default font, and choose the bitstream font for a
> document. That document keeps that font when reopened.

So you see Emacs change to use that font, as you wanted.  It does
not change to some other font.  Right?

> > What do you see in buffer *Messages* about this - anything?
> 
> No.
> 
> > What happens if you use `emacs -Q' and you evaluate the sexp
> > in *scratch*, instead of putting it in an otherwise empty init
> > file?
> 
> It returns "nil" on next line. I'm not familiar with lisp evaluation and
> so don't know what the nil means. No errors?

nil is the value returned by evaluating the expression - unimportant
in this case. The question is whether your default font actualy changed.

To test that, do `C-x 5 2' to open a new frame showing the same buffer.
If the default font was changed to what you want then that frame should
show the new font.

> If I open emacs -Q the font used for the scratch buffer header is Deju
> Sans. I can go to Options, Set Default Font, and change the header to
> bitstream Courier 10 pitch.

And does that change visibly to the font you want?

> If I then click "Save Options", I get the
> warning: "Saving options from 'emacs -q' would overwrite existing
> configutations". I don't understand. 

When you use `emacs -q' you are not using your init file, which is
where Emacs would normally save any changes.  Ignore this warning,
and do not try to save such changes if you started without your
init file.

If the tests you mention above actually show a change to the font
you want, then, in a window that shows that font is used, do this:

M-: (face-font 'default)

That will show you the string that is the font name for face
`default', which is the same thing as the default font name.

If this string is not the same as the string you were trying earlier,
try this one instead.  IOW, this is a font name that works - perhaps
the name you were trying before is not correct.

If this does not help, perhaps someone else can help.