Re: Standard fonts ?

[Mohammed Elzubeir <elzubeir at fakkir dot net>]

On Mon, Jul 16, 2001 at 06:21:55PM -0700, Nadim Shaikli wrote:

> With the posts on comp.emacs and the various reading I've done, I'm
> royally confused when it comes to what's standard in terms of Arabic
> fonts (yah, I know this simple issue :-)
> 
> There are also these format for the various fonts,
> 
>   1. plain-text maps

>   2. snf (langbox)
>   3. bdf (GNU emacs - GNU intlfonts distribution)
>   4. pcf (various)

The bdf and pcf formats are both used to represent bitmap fonts. The snf
format is an obsolete format. The pcf is a 'supposedly' more efficient format.

In the XFree86 site, they advise you to convert bdf formats to pcf (using a 
utility named bdftopcf).

So, we have:
        1. bitmap   - .bdf, .pcf, .snf
        2. type 1   - .pfa, .pfb, CID
        3. speedo   - .spd
        4. freetype - .ttf, .ttc
        5. xtt      - .ttf, .ttc

(check with the XFree86-4.1.0 online documentation).

> and thus the question/suggestion).  Does anyone have any files I could get a
> hold off (I'll start a repository of sorts until I have a complete enough set
> which I could then upload somewhere maybe CVS on aunyx.org or something).

You are on the right track. I have a collection of fonts collected through 
several months of searching, but I don't have a database of where they came
from, who made them,etc. Yes, you could put it up on the cvs under
aunyx/misc/fonts/ (create one).

> I've also peered at keyboards and what one ought to expect (well, in the
> future :-) and came across this site
> 
>   http://crl.nmsu.edu/~mleisher/keyboards/arabic.html
> 
> Even Arabic keyboards are non-standard - sheeeesh !!!  At least this could
> easily be taken care-of through 'xmodmap' and some modifier or something 
> (this is in the noise at this point, just thought I'd look that's all)

It's a beautiful world ;)

> 
> Mohammed, it might be a good idea to add a section with links to the various
> "legit" (or proper) fonts out there (as a newbie to this myself, I'd guess
> others would wonder, "OK, which fonts do I need and where do I get 'em".
> Once things settle and I get to understand what's going on, I'll write up
> an explanation that ought to be included as well.
> 
> Does this seem worth-while ?
> 

Of course! I'll add a FAQ, and you can write everything you have found in it
in a question/answer format. CVS that too. Hell, CVS the constitutions of the 
world;)

-- 
Mohammed Elzubeir

Arabeyes.org - Arabic Unix Project
http://www.arabeyes.org/
Unix, the 'right' way