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diff --git a/help/comp-fonts-FAQ/comp.fonts_FAQ:_X11_Info b/help/comp-fonts-FAQ/comp.fonts_FAQ:_X11_Info new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..41c5906cda --- /dev/null +++ b/help/comp-fonts-FAQ/comp.fonts_FAQ:_X11_Info @@ -0,0 +1,250 @@ +Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.mathworks.com!zombie.ncsc.mil!newsgate.duke.edu!news-feed-1.peachnet.edu!paperboy.wellfleet.com!news3.near.net!amber.ora.com!not-for-mail +From: norm@ora.com (Norman Walsh) +Newsgroups: comp.fonts,comp.answers,news.answers +Subject: comp.fonts FAQ: X11 Info +Supersedes: <font-faq-15_817479312@ora.com> +Followup-To: poster +Date: 14 Aug 1996 10:35:29 -0400 +Organization: O'Reilly and Associates, Inc. +Lines: 227 +Sender: norm@ruby.ora.com +Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu +Distribution: world +Expires: 27 Sep 1996 14:34:08 GMT +Message-ID: <font-faq-15_840033248@ora.com> +References: <font-faq-1_840033248@ora.com> +Reply-To: norm@ora.com (Norman Walsh) +NNTP-Posting-Host: ruby.ora.com +Summary: This posting answers frequently asked questions about fonts. + It addresses both general font questions and questions that + are specific to a particular platform. +X-Web-Homepage: http://www.ora.com/homepages/comp.fonts/ +Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu comp.fonts:48312 comp.answers:20526 news.answers:79247 + +Archive-name: fonts-faq/part15 +Version: 2.1.5 + +Subject: 10. X11 Information + + This section needs a lot of work. At the time of this release, I'm not + in a position to write it so I'm leaving it basically blank. Even if + you don't have time to write it, if you know what should be in this + section, please forward it to norm. + +Subject: 10.1. Getting X11 + + The standard location for X software is ftp.x.org. + +Subject: 10.2. Historical Notes about X11 + + The X Window System has been in widespread use through releases 3, 4, + and now 5 of X Version 11. + + Fonts weren't really treated by the X Consortium very well until X11 + release 5 (X11R5). In X11R3 and X11R4, the default format used by the X + servers was called SNF (server normal format). Basically the font was + formatted on disk in such a way that the X server could quickly read and + use it (it was basically a memory-dump). The important element of the + SNF format is that it was not a portable format: it depended on the + architecture of the machine running the server (little endian vs. big + endian, for example) and as a consequence you needed different directory + structures for different systems on your network. On top of that, + several systems vendors implemented their own font format, making font + portability even more difficult. + + With X11R5, two things changed: the font service protocol was defined as + a standard and interoperable way for an X server to obtain fonts + (independent of their format, origin, or current location on disk) and + the default format for storing fonts was changed from SNF to PCF + (Portable Compiled Font). PCF is a format originally developed by DEC. + Its primary advantage is that it is not architecture dependent. That + is, if you compile a font to PCF format on different systems, then you + may end up having two different PCF files, but each system will be able + to read the other's file correctly. + +Subject: 10.3. X11 Font Formats + + There are many different font formats that can play a role in an X11 + system configuration. The following table summarizes some of the + common formats: + + * BDF + + The Bitmap Distribution Format (BDF) is the standard format for + distribution of fonts. It is an ASCII format so it can easily be + edited it with your favourite editor or E-mailed to other users. + As the name suggests, it stores bitmap fonts only. + + Another virtue of the BDF format is that most font format + converters convert to or from this format. Means if you want to go + from format A to format B, neither of which is BDF, then you are + likely to convert A to BDF, then BDF to B. + + The BDF format is defined by Adobe. A document describing the + format is available by ftp from Adobe's file server at + "ps-file-server@adobe.com". It is also available in the standard X + distribution. Look under ../X11R4(5)/mit/hardcopy/BDF. This + document is also reproduced in any text describing the X standard. + + * SNF + + The Server Normal Format (SNF) is an older format for bitmap + fonts. The format is X Server and host dependent. This means that + if you have two SNF files, their actual format may be different. + Also, if you have an "snftobdf" utility, it may not be able to + read font files from other systems. Convert to BDF format before + you move it off the host system. + + Snftobdf is one utility that can generate a BDF file from a SNF + file. It was part of the X11R4 contrib release. To compile under + X11R5, you need some of the X11R4 snf include files. + + * PCF + + The Portable Compiled Font (PCF) format is a binary format for + bitmap fonts. The binary contains sufficient information to be + readable by other systems. + + * PHIGS + + These fonts are only applicable in PEX environments. PHIGS fonts + don't really have any relationship to the normal X font mechanism. + + * DWF + + The DECWindows Fonts (DWF) are bitmap fonts. + + * Intellifont + + These are HP scalable fonts. + + * PFA/PFB + + These are Adobe Type 1 PostScript fonts. + + They can be used in X11R5 based X servers and font servers because + IBM has donated a renderer for this format to the X Consortium. + The renderer can be found on the X11R5 contrib, and on ftp.x.org. + + * Speedo + + This is a format from Bitstream, Inc. Bitstream has also donated a + font renderer to the X Consortium, and a couple of fonts. + + I have been told that in order to use commercial fonts from + BitStream, you must patch the renderer somewhat to make it use the + right decryption code for the font. + + * FB + + These are Sun X11/NeWS format bitmap fonts used by the Sun + OpenWindows system. + + You can use "convertfont" which comes with OpenWindows to convert + to/from BDF. + + * F3/F3B + + This is the scalable Sun Folio format, also used by OpenWindows. + + You can use "convertfont" to convert to (not from) BDF. + +Subject: 10.4. X11 Font Server + + X11 Release 5 + ============= + + With X11 Release 5, the X Consortium has created a network-based + standard font protocol. As a user of the X Window System, you have an X + server on your desktop, which does the interface between the hardware + (screen, mouse, keyboard), and the X network protocol. This X server + needs fonts. Before X11R5, the only way it could get to those fonts + was to make font directories readable for the X server on that host, + either by NFS-mounting or by copying. + + With the X Font Service protocol, you just tell your X server that it + must use the services of a font server, which is a daemon process + sitting on a host on your network. The font server is a program which + talks a standardized protocol on the network, and which is capable of + reading several font formats. + + The font server sources are modular, such that it is easy to add a + renderer for an additional font format to the existing code. This is + obviously also the intention: the X Consortium provides the core + technology, and supposes that all systems vendors will add font + renderers for their proprietary formats to the code, and then ship that + to their customers. + + If you have a multi-vendor environment, then you are supposed to run a + font server on every host that carries the font files. Then all of the + X servers on your network can put all the fonts they need in their font + path. Automatically, IBM fonts will be requested from the font server + on an IBM host, DEC fonts from a DEC host, etc. + + Other benefits of using font server technology include the ability of + the font server to implement caching, provide for fault-tolerant setup, + etc. + + A final example of the good use of the font server is the combination + of a font server with a Type 1 font renderer. As mentioned above, IBM + donated a Type 1 font renderer which can easily be built into the X + font server. As the Type 1 font format, and the ATM format are the same, + it is perfectly possible to use commercial ATM fonts with the X Window + System. See also /contrib/fonts/lib/font/Type1/ in the X11 + distribution. + + X11 Release 6 + ============= + + The X11R6 font server is very similar to the X11R5 server described + above. Under X11R6, the font server has been renamed to xfs and the + Type 1 rendering engine is now incorporated into the base + distribution--it is no longer a contributed package. + +Subject: 10.5. Fonts and utilities for X11 + + Here's a quick list of possible steps to get from "what you got" to X: + + * Mac format bitmaps: + + No idea. If you know how to read a Mac format bitmap file on some + other platform, please tell norm. + + * PC format bitmaps: + + Conversion to BDF is possible from TeX PK format and LaserJet + softfont format. Other conversions are also within the realm of + possibility. Feel free to ask norm for more information if you + have a specific conversion in mind. + + * TeX PK format bitmaps: + + PKtoBDF gets us directly to BDF format from here. + + * Mac format postscript: + + Under MS-DOS, conversion to PC format postscript allows the font to + be accessed with PS2PK (under *nix or MS-DOS). See above for TeX + PK to X conversions. + + * PC/Unix format PostScript + + Conversion to TeX PK with PS2PK allows you to get to BDF + (indirectly). + + * XtoBDF, getbdf, FStoBDF + + XtoBDF and getbdf are two public-domain applications which are + capable of asking an X server to give them all it knows about a + given font. They then print the BDF representation of that font on + stdout. + + You can use these if you have an X server that can read some font + file, but nothing else can. + + FStoBDF is distributed with X11R5. + + If you use one of these programs, you may actually be converting a + scalable font into a bitmap font, but converting a bitmap font to a + scalable one is not currently possible. + |