Re: master 02681b0fbf0 1/2: Don't claim that xftfont is being considered for deletion

[Po Lu]

Robert Pluim <rpluim@gmail.com> writes:

>>>>>> On Mon, 10 Mar 2025 18:13:16 +0800, Po Lu <luangruo@yahoo.com> said:
>
>     Po Lu> Robert Pluim <rpluim@gmail.com> writes:
>     >> I guess you mean to *not* delete libXft support? If the issues
>     >> surrounding support of color fonts have been fixed [1], then I have no
>     >> objections, but I donʼt remember this being discussed.
>     >> 
>     >> Robert
>     >> 
>     >> Footnotes:
>     >> [1]  I tried testing it a while back, and it crashed my X server 🙂
>
>     Po Lu> You must have installed an out of date Xft (and needless to say we 
> are
>     Po Lu> not concerned with that which crashes the X server).  Fedora 
> Workstation
>     Po Lu> 41 provides 2.3.8, which is sufficiently recent to display color 
> glyphs,
>     Po Lu> but I'll pass.  They are abominable and I heartily prefer Symbola.
>
> I have 2.3.6 here, but thereʼs an interposing remote desktop program
> which does unholy things to the display server, so who knows whoʼs at
> fault 🙂

Come what may, the X server ought never to crash, and if it should, it's
no responsibility of ours.  That remains so whatever clients may be
mediating Emacs's connection...

>     Po Lu> Likewise, Inconsolata is perfectly functional in Xft:
>
>     Po Lu> While Cairo chokes on large images with transforms, or on 
> PseudoColor
>     Po Lu> screens, and is discountenanced by the GNOME cohort by whom it is
>     Po Lu> developed.
>
> Yes, things have changed with regards to Cairo.
>
> Iʼve forgotten how all the various combinations work: does this mean we
> should move (back) to Xft + HarfBuzz by default?

Not yet, but perhaps that would be justified if and when Cairo should
become unmaintained altogether.  Of course speaking purely for myself, I
would also like to see the dependency-free font backend enabled in the
Android port adapted to the X desktop, but it's not acutely necessary
right now (nor does it support color fonts or even CFF outlines, as
yet).