Improved Freetype2

miqorz · 2005-02-22 06:39:43

Someone asked me to post this, It improves your fonts drastically.

# Contributer: miqorz <mike@left-foot.org>
pkgname=freetype2
pkgver=2.1.9
pkgrel=2
pkgdesc="TrueType font rendering library"
url="http://freetype.sourceforge.net"
depends=('glibc' 'zlib')
source=(ftp://gd.tuwien.ac.at/publishing/freetype/freetype2/freetype-$pkgver.tar.bz2 
  bytecode.patch freetype-2.1.9-fix_bci.patch http://home.comcast.net/~electricjetset/patch/ft-smooth-cvs.diff)
md5sums=('ec1b903e4be5f073caa72458ea58c29c' '99ef2d11ed112baf218605a96c791858'
         'abe92b0754b95609e7cce9bf52238397' '683ae03c066fe182f29a889ae82cd4f4')

build() {
  cd $startdir/src/freetype-$pkgver
  # enable the bytecode interpreter
  patch -Np1 -i ../bytecode.patch || return 1
  # fix autohinter bug
  patch -Np1 -i ../freetype-2.1.9-fix_bci.patch || return 1
  patch -Np1 -i ../ft-smooth-cvs.diff || return 1
  ./configure --prefix=/usr
  make || return 1
  make DESTDIR=$startdir/pkg install
}

skoal · 2005-02-22 06:50:26

Thanks for the post. I wasn't aware of any changes to libFT2. I know we already use the bytecode interpreter, but I noticed something about a "autohinter" patch. I don't use the autohinter since it actually bypasses the bytecode interpreter for True Type fonts. I only use TTF(s), but maybe that will help for others that don't.

Oops! I just saw that the bytecode patch is not just enabling it from within the stock FT2 libs. I'll give this a shot tonite.

lanrat · 2005-02-22 11:44:44

Are the two first patches already in arch's package?:
http://cvs.archlinux.org/cgi-bin/viewcv … freetype2/
Do you have any url to some description what autohinter pachtes do? (especially the last one).

:?: http://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~dchest/xfthack/(looks quite old...)

neri · 2005-02-22 16:56:39

miqorz wrote:

Someone asked me to post this, It improves your fonts drastically.

could you post screenies where the differences are visible, just to compare?

thanks,
-neri

miqorz · 2005-02-22 18:22:57

I only really added the last patch. And what it does is make the fonts extra smooth and just generally better looking.

http://left-foot.org/Images/xfce4.png

That's my screenshot but I use a bold font so you might not get much use out of it.

oscar · 2005-02-22 19:27:11

Where do I find the patches? :S

miqorz · 2005-02-22 19:41:50

oscar wrote:

Where do I find the patches? :S

They're in the PKGBUILD.

freakyc · 2005-02-22 19:48:35

Reminds me of ClearType in Windows. Not sure that's good or bad yet. I swear my eyes get used to ClearType after awhile, but I always find it blurry at first.

oscar, I used the patches in the CVS link that lanrat posted. They seemed to work fine.

BTW, are you using an LCD miqorz?

miqorz · 2005-02-22 20:03:19

Nope, I'm using a 17" CRT.

pixel · 2005-02-22 21:35:47

Does freetype2 stock package from Arch Linux 0.7 (Wombat) from the install cd has bytecode interpreter enabled?

miqorz · 2005-02-22 21:43:03

pixel wrote:

Does freetype2 stock package from Arch Linux 0.7 (Wombat) from the install cd has bytecode interpreter enabled?

Yes.

pixel · 2005-02-22 21:51:36

That's what i thought too, im using TTF verdana everywhere in XFCE4 with full hinting and subpixel hinting turned on and antialiasing turned OFF and eveything looks beautiful. Personally i don't like that "antialiasing" at all, it's too blurry, check the TTF verdana fonts without antialiasing enabled for some truly thin and lean fonts...

miqorz · 2005-02-22 21:52:48

I HATE non-antialiased fonts. They're so.. blocky.

pixel · 2005-02-22 21:58:09

miqorz wrote:

I HATE non-antialiased fonts. They're so.. blocky.

I guess it depends on their size, I find that verdana size 9 is small enough but still readable.

pixel · 2005-02-22 22:51:20

skoal wrote:

I don't use the autohinter since it actually bypasses the bytecode interpreter for True Type fonts.

My understanding is that when you enable TrueType bytecode intepreter, freetype is using only that for rendering, autohinter is used ONLY when you DO NOT enable bytecode interpreter which is the default option in freetype src from the official freetype website. The current Arch package has bytecode intepreter enabled so it DOES NOT use autohinter.
Correct me if I'm wrong.

phrakture · 2005-02-22 23:01:32

pixel wrote:

skoal wrote:
I don't use the autohinter since it actually bypasses the bytecode interpreter for True Type fonts.
My understanding is that when you enable TrueType bytecode intepreter, freetype is using only that for rendering, autohinter is used ONLY when you DO NOT enable bytecode interpreter which is the default option in freetype src from the official freetype website. The current Arch package has bytecode intepreter enabled so it DOES NOT use autohinter.
Correct me if I'm wrong.

by default, the bytecode interpreter is not compiled in because in order to legally use it you have to pay Apple a license fee. Most distros enable it with a patch, and Apple has yet to bring the wrath down for that... However, if the bytecode interpreter is complied in, you can still use the autohinter...

in /etc/fonts/local.conf or another fontconfig file:

<!-- Use the Autohinter -->
<match target="pattern">
   <edit name="autohint" mode="assign">
      <bool>true</bool>
   </edit>
</match>

and, if you learn the syntax for fontconfig, you can set it up so, say Verdana-8 uses autohint, and Verdana-10 uses bytecode....

http://wiki2.archlinux.org/index.php/XO … figuration

pixel · 2005-02-22 23:36:46

I think i will stick with bytecode though... noticed one more thing now, on another partition i got Win XP and i browsed through my fonts dir and compared the file sizes to the ones provided by Arch, they differ :shock:
The ones in my Windows font dir are bigger, verdana is bigger by 10Kb, that means it is a newer version, more polished and with more hints.

This page explains a lot:
http://www.freetype.org/freetype2/2.1.3-explained.html

I think i will copy those Windows fonts to my TTF dir, i will also add some fonts i really need like ancient greek, syriac and hebrew.

skoal · 2005-02-23 01:31:03

Hmm...I thought I knew, but now, either confusion or my two favorite friends "Malt and Hops" are taking hold. Pixel, I agree with your summary of what I was trying to say, and I think you explained it better. I even thought the FT2 source had autohinter and bytecode interpreter mutually exclusive. I thought the autohinter was put into FT2 to imitate what the patented bytecode interprter provided, which was turned off by default for legal reasons.

Personally, I use the stock Arch package with bytecode enabled, and I've played with every setting I could with the "autohinter" (especially in my local.conf), and it don't do squat. I can see subtle differences with "low" to "full" hinting changes. I mainly use TTF fonts with no AA, so maybe that's why I never see the effect of the "autohinter". Either way, I have no gripes with what I got, except for the ugliness of Serif typefaces used on a few web sites, namely Slashdot. I ain't about to turn on AA for just for that rag...

pixel · 2005-02-23 12:50:23

I think that bytecode interpreter is much better than autohinter. As far as slashdot, try lowering the font size (in Firefox ctrl-).. it looks much better.

Dreameen · 2005-02-25 14:29:36

How do you disable fonts antialiasing in applications like firefox, opera?

miqorz · 2005-02-25 19:49:56

Can you guys move this conversation to another thread?

I'd really appreciate it.

Arch Linux

#1 2005-02-22 06:39:43

Improved Freetype2

#2 2005-02-22 06:50:26

Re: Improved Freetype2

#3 2005-02-22 11:44:44

Re: Improved Freetype2

#4 2005-02-22 16:56:39

Re: Improved Freetype2

#5 2005-02-22 18:22:57

Re: Improved Freetype2

#6 2005-02-22 19:27:11

Re: Improved Freetype2

#7 2005-02-22 19:41:50

Re: Improved Freetype2

#8 2005-02-22 19:48:35

Re: Improved Freetype2

#9 2005-02-22 20:03:19

Re: Improved Freetype2

#10 2005-02-22 21:35:47

Re: Improved Freetype2

#11 2005-02-22 21:43:03

Re: Improved Freetype2

#12 2005-02-22 21:51:36

Re: Improved Freetype2

#13 2005-02-22 21:52:48

Re: Improved Freetype2

#14 2005-02-22 21:58:09

Re: Improved Freetype2

#15 2005-02-22 22:51:20

Re: Improved Freetype2

#16 2005-02-22 23:01:32

Re: Improved Freetype2

#17 2005-02-22 23:36:46

Re: Improved Freetype2

#18 2005-02-23 01:31:03

Re: Improved Freetype2

#19 2005-02-23 12:50:23

Re: Improved Freetype2

#20 2005-02-25 14:29:36

Re: Improved Freetype2

#21 2005-02-25 19:49:56

Re: Improved Freetype2

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