Are bdf fonts not supported in fossapup?

[donkes12]

Bdf fonts installed and works on tahr, can't make it work on fossa. What I did is copy directory /usr/share/X11/fonts/misc/ with all *.bdf fonts and all settings in fonts.alias from tahr to fossa. I also moved /etc/fonts from tahr to fossa, but no luck either.

Gfontsel just don't show that *.bdf fonts are installed, neither Rox or Palemoon.

Also changed /etc/fonts/local.conf Reject bitmap fonts value from false to true, but it's just made everything unreadable, so I jumped back to false.
Any suggestions? What else need to be moved from tahr to fossa to make bdf fonts work?

[mikeslr]

I'm currently not running Fossapup64 and know squat about bdf fonts except that, https://pkgs.org/search/?q=bdf%20fonts > scroll-down and click Ubuntu 20.04 LST (focal fossa) reveals a bunch of applications which are located on Ubuntu's Focal Fossa reposes. Have you tried installing using Puppy Package Manager or, perhaps better, Pkg-Cli, https://oldforum.puppylinux.com/viewtop ... 04#p985531? Also, see this thread, viewtopic.php?p=1549#p1549

Note: For an OS to make use of bdf fonts may --see above re the extent of my knowledge-- require that some 'framework' may have to be present in the operating system. If using Puppy Package Manager, make sure to select "All and dependencies". And it wouldn't hurt to examine Ubuntu Focal Fossa 'search repos' to see what Ubuntu thinks is required. Pkg-cli may pull everything needed in automatically.

[donkes12]

In PPM I only find font converters from other fonts to BDF or tool for resizing BDF format font.
Actually, I already have this font files, and put them where they should be - /usr/share/X11/fonts/misc/. It's just something missing, maybe some string in some conf file.

[666philb]

hi @donkes12

this may be because pango has dropped support for some fonts ....
https://bkhome.org/news/202009/pango-ve ... aster.html
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugrepo ... bug=939748

[donkes12]

Pango 1.44.x drops support for rendering BDF (X11 bitmap) and Type 1 fonts.

thank you 666philb, that explains everything.

Will stick to good old tahr then.

[bigpup]

Is using bdf fonts, really that important, that you are going to still use an outdated version of Puppy?
There is no other possible font, you could live with?

[mikewalsh]

Is using bdf fonts, really that important, that you are going to still use an outdated version of Puppy?
There is no other possible font, you could live with?

Hm. It appears to be an Adobe-specific item, bigpup. Not exactly 'standard' font characters, either; apparently, these are something referred to as 'glyphs'....?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyph_Bit ... ion_Format

(Which I know bugger-all about, so any further contribution from ME is stopping right there...)

Mike.

[mikeslr]

Barry K's EasyOS-Buster did not have the pango problem. It manifested itself under Dunfell in or about September 28, 2020. In responding to the problem Barry K wrote:
"The version of Pango in OE Dunfell is 1.44.7, in Debian Buster it is 1.42.4. Looking at the releases of OE/Yocto, going back in time from left to right: Dunfell Zeus Warrior Thud Sumo Rocko Pyro
Pyro was released May 2017. Warrior has Pango 1.42.4, so I might use that recipe and do a complete recompile. I hate to be going backwards, but it won't be the first time that I have done this (with other packages)." https://bkhome.org/news/202009/pango-ve ... aster.html.
Of course, the best way to solve the problem would be to compile Pango 1.42.4 for Fossapup. [Edit: See and use OscarTalks pets two posts down. I wish he had been quicker. ] But is pango 'kernel specific'? If not, can an older version of pango be 'injected'? Would doing so conflict with the installed version? If not, the Ubuntu repo for Bionic Beaver holds libpango-1.40.14-1ubuntu0.1, https://packages.ubuntu.com/bionic/libpango-1.0-00 and its dependency libthai0 (>= 0.1.22-3~) and note libthai0's dependencies, and follow their links to other dependencies. Also note that these appear to be available in the Focal Fossa repositories. It may be possible to install those via Fossapup's Puppy Package Manager, creating symbolic links to the fossa files giving the symbolic links the names the bionic pango expects to use. [A simple download via browser + install might suffice; but it would probably be better to install sc0ttman's PKG-Cli, https://oldforum.puppylinux.com/viewtop ... fe#p985531 and configure it to make use of the Bionic Beaver repo].

Fossapup64's default kernel package is 5.4.43. Would swapping kernels to an older version work-around the problem? I note Barry K's last EasyOS-Buster [published after the above report] had kernel 5.4.84. But I don't think EasyOS's kernels can be swapped with Puppys. josejp2424's dpupbuster, viewtopic.php?f=33&t=67&p=158&hilit=dpup+buster#p158, used kernel 4.19.23.

The OP probably doesn't know how easily kernels are swapped under Puppies. Thanks primarily to bigpup's previous post, many kernel packages are available from the links on this post: viewtopic.php?f=65&t=2740 and others can be found from this Section, viewforum.php?f=65

Caution: The attached may entirely muck-up your Fossapup64. And even if it doesn't, it may not work. Note all the possible problems I mentioned above about package conflicts. I'll also mention that Fossapup may not be configured to use this older packaged. Consider this as an implementation of the adage "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst". Before trying this, backup your SaveFile/Folder and have some way to boot up your computer without using Fossapup64 SaveFile/Folder into which it will be installed. Ask if you need instructions.

The attached is a minimal pango package from Bionicpup64. Install it and restart-x. An entire reboot may be needed for Fossapup to recognize the package; and when it does, among the possible results are a hung computer or an unreadable display.

libpango_bionic64-1.0.0.pet

(391.1 KiB) Downloaded 27 times

If at first it doesn't work, but doesn't entirely screw up Fossapup you can try the following: Uninstall this pet. Then run Menu>Setup>Remove builtin packages, select Pango. Then reinstall the attached pet and restart-x. And, as before, a reboot may be necessary.

[Grey]

My friend is doing some kind of nonsense in the printing house , so from him I know about two programs that I occasionally use.
FontForge - Exactly supports bdf. AppImage.
The new Glyphr Studio probably supports it too. AppImage. Online version.

[OscarTalks]

STRICTLY FOR TESTING and only if the installed pango is giving you problems.
Here is pango-1.42.4 compiled from source in FossaPup.
Restart X after installation to see the changes
In my brief test it does remove the hyphenation effect of names in ROX

[donkes12]

Installing pango-1.42.4-x86_64-fossa.pet has solved my problem! Big thanks to OscarTalks, mikeslr and everybody involved.
My beloved Fixed BDF font is back! I got hooked on it years ago and can't imagine using any other font since.

[mikewalsh]

My beloved Fixed BDF font is back! I got hooked on it years ago and can't imagine using any other font since.

Now THAT, I can appreciate & fully sympathise with.

Ever since I discovered a font called "Exo 2" over at FontSquirrel a couple of years ago, the entire kennels have been modified to use it globally. Neatest font I've ever seen in my life....!

Mike.

[666philb]

STRICTLY FOR TESTING and only if the installed pango is giving you problems.
Here is pango-1.42.4 compiled from source in FossaPup.
Restart X after installation to see the changes
In my brief test it does remove the hyphenation effect of names in ROX

thanks !..... added to fossapup repo