freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

int13h · 2016-07-06 12:53:34

Hello,

The package freetype2 2.6.4-2 (testing) is not available hinting management. After update hinting does not work.

Fonts look terrible - blurry , fatty.

Alad · 2016-07-06 14:48:40

https://git.archlinux.org/svntogit/pack … 96c7bd294c

WorMzy · 2016-07-06 16:04:33

Mod note: Moving to Testing.

Potomac · 2016-07-07 03:43:21

freetype2 2.6.4-2 is now on stable repo and the bug is still here : ugly fonts, the fonts are too bold,

I have to downgrade to 2.6.3-1 version as workaround

Last edited by Potomac (2016-07-07 04:06:13)

Potomac · 2016-07-07 03:54:15

Hello,

with freetype2-2.6.4-2 there is a bug : fonts are too bold, they look terrible, blurry , fatty

hinting doesn't seem to work with this version,

I tried the avalaible settings in /etc/environment :

FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=0 # Classic mode
FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=1 # Infinality mode
FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=2 # Default mode

but it doesn't fix the problem, fonts are still ugly ( too bold, for example in gimp, thunderbird, web sites in firefox ),

with the previous version ( freetype2 2.6.3-1 ) there is no problem

ewaller · 2016-07-07 04:13:11

Merged similar topics

Potomac · 2016-07-07 04:17:23

@ewaller : you should put this thread in the section "Pacman & Package Upgrade Issues",

because freetype2 2.6.4-2 is now on "extra" repo, and not on testing repo

Last edited by Potomac (2016-07-07 04:17:42)

ewaller · 2016-07-07 04:19:11

Thank you. Moving. You should use the report link in the future.

Nordicruler · 2016-07-07 04:28:36

I have not try yet, my plan is to install Arch later today.
I just read this bug report:
https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/49981

Potomac wrote:

@ewaller : you should put this thread in the section "Pacman & Package Upgrade Issues",
because freetype2 2.6.4-2 is now on "extra" repo, and not on testing repo

EDIT: Sorry wrong thread but same topic.

Last edited by Nordicruler (2016-07-07 04:31:10)

R00KIE · 2016-07-07 09:52:26

I've exported FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=0 in my /etc/profile.d/extras.sh and it seems to do the trick. On the other hand upstream changing defaults to something that looks worse is kind of annoying, just like what happened with fontconfig's default hinting style.

seagull · 2016-07-07 09:53:29

I downloaded a previous version of freetype2 from https://archive.archlinux.org/packages/f/freetype2/ and installed it with pacman -U freetype2-2.6.3-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz and had nice looking fonts back.

stef_204 · 2016-07-07 10:14:03

I concur that freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken, had to downgrade to freetype2 2.6.3-1 as well. The bug report has been closed on account of "not a bug but configuration issue". I do not think that is correct as the 3 config options do not seem to work and produce the same problem albeit in varying degrees. So it does look like a bug, either with the 3 patches applied to arch freetype2 package in latest version or upstream.... I'd comment on the bug report but cannot at the moment, just registered with bugtracker but it does not recognize my user name yet.

glavin · 2016-07-07 12:08:37

@R00KIE, Thanks for the hint. Exporting FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=0 in /etc/profile.d/extras.sh worked for me too.

stef_204 · 2016-07-07 12:56:12

@ROOKIE Exporting FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=0 in /etc/profile.d/extras.sh works for me as well. Thank you!
Any chance you can post a link to a reference for this fix?

V1del · 2016-07-07 13:10:34

The post-install message tells you so. If you just go ahead and add all three lines it mentions you will overwrite your definitions with the last value which will be the new behaviour, you are only supposed to set just one of the three possible lines. If you did that, then there are chances that /etc/environment wasn't being parsed by your login shell, but profile.d is.

stef_204 · 2016-07-07 14:52:54

V1del wrote:

The post-install message tells you so. If you just go ahead and add all three lines it mentions you will overwrite your definitions with the last value which will be the new behaviour, you are only supposed to set just one of the three possible lines. If you did that, then there are chances that /etc/environment wasn't being parsed by your login shell, but profile.d is.

I was not referring to the post install message, I had tried both /etc/environment and ~/.pam_environment without success. Evidently those were not being parsed automatically by my login shell....
I was referring to using "extras.sh" in /etc/profile.d/

Not important...there's plenty of ways to export that value upon login, TBO.

Last edited by stef_204 (2016-07-07 14:54:48)

heftig · 2016-07-07 16:32:09

The environment files are read by pam_env, which should be part of /etc/pam.d/system-login .

IMBJR · 2016-07-07 16:34:24

My pacman logs tell me that in late 2014 (21st of December) truetype2 was upgraded to version 0.9.37-1. With it came a log message that said "Subpixel hinting can be enabled by adding FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=1 to your environment". Does any one know why we seem to be getting this functionality again/back?

R00KIE · 2016-07-07 18:25:43

stef_204 wrote:

@ROOKIE Exporting FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=0 in /etc/profile.d/extras.sh works for me as well. Thank you!
Any chance you can post a link to a reference for this fix?

No link I'm afraid, that file is where I export misc stuff I want to be set in my environment. You could call it fix-for-stuff-that-annoys-me.sh and it should still work, that is the idea behind the files in profile.d, they should be sourced when you login.

Malvineous · 2016-07-08 12:57:47

Just wanted to add that uninstalling the AUR "sharpfonts" package also fixes this, except then fonts go blurry (i.e. antialiased at small font sizes.) Reinstalling sharpfonts makes the fonts look ugly again, but setting FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=0 fixes the problem.

It looks like the latest freetype is converting the subpixels into full black pixels, when antialiasing is switched off. Has anyone reported this bug upstream?

oxplot · 2016-07-09 13:32:19

Potomac wrote:

I tried the avalaible settings in /etc/environment :
FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=0 # Classic mode
FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=1 # Infinality mode
FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=2 # Default mode

but it doesn't fix the problem

I tried the alternative /etc/profile.d/ but that doesn't fix everything. The following however worked across the board:

echo 'FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING DEFAULT=0' >> /etc/security/pam_env.conf

doragasu · 2016-07-09 17:22:03

I also had this problem, and got it solved, but I don't know if the process will work for anyone (BTW I do not use subpixel hinting, as I still use a CRT monitor). What I did was:

1. Backed up /etc/fonts/conf.d and then deleted it.
2. Re-installed latest freetype2 and fontconfig packages.
3. Deleted /etc/fonts/conf.d 10-hinting-slight.conf symlink.
4. Created a symlink to /etc/fonts/conf.avail/10-hinting-full.conf inside /etc/fonts/conf.d
5. As everything worked, I deleted the backup done on step 1.

If anyone tries this, please report if it works.

Last edited by doragasu (2016-07-09 17:22:40)

monsieur moche · 2016-07-09 21:03:22

Exporting FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=0 (I opted for /etc/profile.d/freetype2.sh) mostly worked for me.

I say mostly, because it worked for some applications (Firefox, HexChat, Rhythmbox, Vim, Gnome Tweak Tool) but not for others (Gnome Files/Nautilus, Gnome Terminal).

Also, unless I set gfx.font_rendering.fontconfig.fontlist.enabled to false on Firefox, some fonts (visible on Facebook or http://www.lemonde.fr/ ) are blurry and too bold. I don't think it's related to the present bug as I had this issue way before the freetype update, but I feel like something is wrong in the way (Arch?)Linux handles font rendering.

Last edited by monsieur moche (2016-07-09 21:15:21)

R00KIE · 2016-07-10 13:27:15

@monsieur moche
Search the forums for problems with fontconfig, you may be having problems with the change in the hinting default.

Potomac · 2016-07-10 16:19:58

my personnal font.conf file in ~/.config/fontconfig :

<?xml version='1.0'?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM 'fonts.dtd'>
<fontconfig>
 <match target="font">
  <edit mode="assign" name="rgba">
   <const>rgb</const>
  </edit>
 </match>
 <match target="font">
  <edit mode="assign" name="hinting">
   <bool>true</bool>
  </edit>
 </match>
 <match target="font">
  <edit mode="assign" name="hintstyle">
   <const>hintfull</const>
  </edit>
 </match>
 <match target="font">
  <edit mode="assign" name="antialias">
   <bool>true</bool>
  </edit>
 </match>
 <match target="font">
  <edit mode="assign" name="lcdfilter">
   <const>lcddefault</const>
  </edit>
 </match>
 <!-- Reject bitmap fonts -->
 <selectfont>
  <rejectfont>
   <pattern>
    <patelt name="scalable">
     <bool>false</bool>
    </patelt>
   </pattern>
  </rejectfont>
 </selectfont>
 <dir>~/.fonts</dir>
  <alias binding="same">
          <family>Helvetica</family>
          <accept>
            <family>Liberation Sans</family>
          </accept>         
  </alias>
    <alias binding="same">
          <family>Times</family>
          <accept>
            <family>Liberation Serif</family>
          </accept>         
  </alias>
</fontconfig>

with "FT2_SUBPIXEL_HINTING=0" setting in /etc/environment the results are almost good, but it's not as good as freetype 2.6.3 version, some fonts are a little too bold, but to see the difference between 2.6.4 and 2.6.3 version the user must have a very good eye and a good LCD screen

Last edited by Potomac (2016-07-10 16:22:01)

Arch Linux

#1 2016-07-06 12:53:34

freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#2 2016-07-06 14:48:40

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#3 2016-07-06 16:04:33

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#4 2016-07-07 03:43:21

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#5 2016-07-07 03:54:15

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#6 2016-07-07 04:13:11

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#7 2016-07-07 04:17:23

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#8 2016-07-07 04:19:11

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#9 2016-07-07 04:28:36

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#10 2016-07-07 09:52:26

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#11 2016-07-07 09:53:29

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#12 2016-07-07 10:14:03

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#13 2016-07-07 12:08:37

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#14 2016-07-07 12:56:12

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#15 2016-07-07 13:10:34

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#16 2016-07-07 14:52:54

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#17 2016-07-07 16:32:09

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#18 2016-07-07 16:34:24

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#19 2016-07-07 18:25:43

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#20 2016-07-08 12:57:47

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#21 2016-07-09 13:32:19

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#22 2016-07-09 17:22:03

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#23 2016-07-09 21:03:22

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#24 2016-07-10 13:27:15

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

#25 2016-07-10 16:19:58

Re: freetype2 2.6.4-2 is broken

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