From Bugzilla Helper: User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Konqueror/3; Linux) Description of problem: Freetype's default font hinting algorithm is quite poor. When combined with the font used on KDE window titles, the titles become unreadable. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): How reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1.Run KDE on Red Hat Limbo 2.Choose the default settings 3.Try and read the title on any window Actual Results: The letters are unreadable - eg, an `e' becomes a blotchy ball with no cavity in the middle of the character. Expected Results: Fonts were readable. Additional info: The problem can easily be resolved in two ways: 1. Although the superior Freetype hinting algorithm is patented by apple, and therefore unavaliable for use by Red Hat, the `XFT Hack' `half-hinting' patch at http://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~dchest/xfthack/ would fix this situation and vastly improve the font rendering on QT and GTK apps alike in Limbo. 2. Disable the current hinting / antialiasing so that text is readable by default.
Yes, these ugly fonts are due to the fact that the bytecode interpreter is disabled in freetype. I've discussed this with Keith Packard in the past as well. I'm not willing to hack up Xft or freetype unless the upstream maintainers of these libraries buy-in to the patches themselves and include the functionality directly into freetype or Xft. Otherwise then we must maintain our own freetype and/or Xft that is different from everyone elses. The solution is to recompile freetype with the bytecode interpreter enabled to get real font hinting - which I've conveniently made a spec file define to make it easier for people to enable the code. Owen, Havoc - any comments you'd like to add before I close the bug?
The problem is misconfiguraiton of KDE, and possibly also fontconfig picking up the TrueType versions of the Luxi fonts rather than the Type1 version. (I need to look at how to force fontconfig to get the Type1 versions.) We have several options for quite readable fonts in GNOME now, and we are using the same basic technology in KDE. Actually, I have no idea why KDE is getting hinting in Limbo - it should be disabled in /etc/X11/Xresources.
I've also encountered strange looking fonts in Limbo. Here's a couple of screenshots of two different font issues: http://users.du.se/~mda/konquerorfont.png (the blue link text looking funny) http://users.du.se/~mda/konsole.png (fonts look good, but letters very far apart)
Probably a matter of KDE not using "Sans-serif 10" and "Mono 10" as the defaults.
fixed in NULL
Fix confirmed with kdebase-3.0.3-7.