Bugzilla – Bug 904238
Missing "fontconfig-infinality" package for 13.2
Last modified: 2014-12-06 09:16:39 UTC
Hello, This package is missing for 13.2: http://software.opensuse.org/package/fontconfig-infinality Please note that it was available from the official repos in 13.1, at version 20130104, then it disappears entirely in 13.1, and then re-appears at an older version 20120615 in Factory. Kind of strange. Thanks for looking into this!
Correction: ..."disappears entirely in 13.1" should have typed "...disappears entirely in 13.2..."
The package was dropped from Factory before 13.2 was split off per https://build.opensuse.org/request/show/237460 because "relevant parts of fontconfig-infinality is absorbed in fonts-config package" The search result for Factory is bogus, though.
Hi, I'm re-opening this bug because the "fontconfig-infinality" package is still necessary to work with the Infinality fontconfig setup. The Infinality configuration is *vastly* superior to the default openSUSE configuration, and the only way to make it work correctly is via the "fontconfig-infinality" package. The default openSUSE fonts-config is totally different. I have been an openSUSE user for many years, and I've read reviews of openSUSE for many years. For *every* *single* release, the general impression is: "Nice distro, but dreadfully ugly fonts." The 13.2 release is not an exception: http://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxActionShow/comments/2lnz51/first_impressions_after_installing_opensuse_132/ The openSUSE font rendering is a serious turn-off for potential openSUSE users. I want to see openSUSE become more popular and appealing, and as someone who spends many hours in front of the screen every day looking at fonts, I can say that the font rendering is critically important. Ubuntu and even Arch manage to offer stellar font rendering out of the box, using completely free and patent-unencumbered software. I'm sure that openSUSE can do the same. Thanks for seriously considering this issue! Cheers.
As far as I know, infinality improvements relies on subpixel rendering which we unfortunately can not provide to you due patent reasons. If you find another feature in fontconfig-infinality which do not depend on patented algorithm, I will happily add it to fonts-config too. I dropped fontconfig-infinality which would interfere with fonts-config and thus could lead to bug reports or confusion. Currently, I am working on yast2-fonts which you can test: http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/pgajdos:/font-setting/openSUSE_13.2/
Thanks Petr, and I'm really glad to see you're working on a YaST fonts module; I hope it gets included in the next release. I don't want to belabor the point, but I tried installing just "fontconfig-infinality" (from an OBS repo) *without* installing the other Infinality packages. There was a significant improvement in font rendering by simply installing that one package. So I think that openSUSE could significantly improve its default font rendering by offering or including by default this one "fontconfig-infinality" package, and without running any risk of patent violations. Has anybody really re-investigated the legal/patent aspects of font rendering to see if it's still an issue? I wonder because Ubuntu and Arch are huge projects, and they seem to be able to offer fantastic fonts out of the box without any apparent legal implications. Thanks for reading.
(In reply to S. B. from comment #5) > Thanks Petr, and I'm really glad to see you're working on a YaST fonts > module; I hope it gets included in the next release. Try it! There are several profiles defined for different tastes. > I don't want to belabor the point, but I tried installing just > "fontconfig-infinality" (from an OBS repo) *without* installing the other > Infinality packages. There was a significant improvement in font rendering > by simply installing that one package. So I think that openSUSE could > significantly improve its default font rendering by offering or including by > default this one "fontconfig-infinality" package, and without running any > risk of patent violations. Unfortunately, what is improvement for someone is regression for someone else, believe me. One likes more thick slightly blurred fonts, one like sharp fonts. Personally, I like sharp fonts and I work mainly on commandline, so I prefer to use bitmap fonts. It doesn't matter for me that they are not smoothed. What fonts do you like to? I guess you could try CFF profile from the yast module. > Has anybody really re-investigated the legal/patent aspects of font > rendering to see if it's still an issue? I wonder because Ubuntu and Arch > are huge projects, and they seem to be able to offer fantastic fonts out of > the box without any apparent legal implications. http://david.freetype.org/cleartype-patents.html
> > Has anybody really re-investigated the legal/patent aspects of font > > rendering to see if it's still an issue? I wonder because Ubuntu and Arch > > are huge projects, and they seem to be able to offer fantastic fonts out of > > the box without any apparent legal implications. > > http://david.freetype.org/cleartype-patents.html Eh, I forgot to trim 'Ubuntu and Arch' comparsion. I don't now how they configure their fonts so far.
Hi again Petr, I prefer slight hinting with light LCD filter subpixel rendering. I use DejaVu Sans Book fonts for the interface. Almost everything I do is in a GUI environment like Cinnamon, Mate, or Gnome. I do have Yast2 Fonts installed on a system with the standard openSUSE font libraries, i.e. Namtrac subpixel and Infinality configurations *not* installed. When I tried to apply the Yast2 Fonts configuration with "lcdlight" LCD Filter enabled, it gives me a warning that "This needs subpixel rendering capability compiled in FreeType library." As to what font libraries Ubuntu uses, upon looking at the Arch pkgbuild to install Ubuntu's font rendering libs, it appears that Ubuntu uses some patches: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/fr/freetype2-ubuntu/PKGBUILD https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/fo/fontconfig-ubuntu/PKGBUILD https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/ca/cairo-ubuntu/PKGBUILD Would it be possible to ship openSUSE with those same patches? Thanks again for your time.
(In reply to S. B. from comment #8) > I prefer slight hinting with light LCD filter subpixel rendering. I use We are out of luck here until the end of 2019, unfortunately. Subpixel rendering is patented. Even if it would be prior art as some says, it is patented -- according to the document I link in comment 6. WE cannot provide FreeType rendering library to you, .. > I do have Yast2 Fonts installed on a system with the standard openSUSE font > libraries, i.e. Namtrac subpixel and Infinality configurations *not* > installed. > When I tried to apply the Yast2 Fonts configuration with "lcdlight" LCD > Filter enabled, it gives me a warning that "This needs subpixel rendering > capability compiled in FreeType library." .. exactly how the dialog says. Please read *carefully* both links provided by the dialog. > https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/fr/freetype2-ubuntu/PKGBUILD > https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/fo/fontconfig-ubuntu/PKGBUILD > https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/ca/cairo-ubuntu/PKGBUILD > Would it be possible to ship openSUSE with those same patches? Thats good idea. I will look at them, if there is something relevant for us, but after I finish work yast2-fonts. Reopening the bug to remind me. Stay tuned.
(In reply to Petr Gajdos from comment #9) > .. exactly how the dialog says. Please read *carefully* both links provided > by the dialog. Sorry, I there are no links in the dialog yet. I have turned them to README.subpixel-patents.
Thanks very much Petr for looking into this!
merging with older freetype-patent-related bug *** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 668686 ***