[Libreoffice] LibreOffice default UI font need to be changed

[Christian Lohmaier]

Hi *,

On Sat, Feb 5, 2011 at 6:38 PM, Nguyen Vu Hung <vuhung16plus at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sat, Feb 5, 2011 at 9:59 PM, Christian Lohmaier
> <lohmaier+libreoffice at googlemail.com> wrote:
>>> [VCL.xcu / list of default fonts and fallback]
>> When there are issues "cross-locale", then raise them. It is not that
>> the list didn't change since the beginning of the OOo project.
>
> If I understand the OP correctly, he wants LibO to
>
> 1. Handle different languages on different locales.

This is already done.

> And because available fonts are different from OS (platform) to OS
> (platform), so

Yes, that's why there isn't just one single font, but also a list of
replacements. Not that another mechanism is fontconfig's
font-fallback.

> 2. LibO should be able to have a right list of fonts to use for different OSes.
>
> Having a list, as the default configuration, of fonts in highest to
> lowest priority
> for different languages and locales is a good idea.

So that's what is there now.

> And, IMHO, to do so, I think we should so let user to edit font priority list.

This is already possible. Got to the Options, there is a font-replacement table.

> # Not hardcoded in VCL.xcu
>
> Please correct me if I am wrong.

Well - you are wrong in the case that
a) The fonts in VCL.xcu are just defaults and (sane) fallbacks for
commonly used fonts. Exactly because the set of available fonts differ
is the reason for existance of this file, and the differet sets of
fallbacks. Both per-font fallbacks (font "foo" was requested, but it's
not installed, what would be a good "look-alike" replacement), as well
as "prefer-lists" (no specific font was requeste, let's see what to
use as default).

b) User interface font as the initial start of the thread (Andale Sans
UI) is only used when not using the system font for UI display. Thus
virtually no windows user, and no GNOME user will see it, KDE
sometimes have crappy configuration so they just uncheck the option in
LO/OOo instead of fixing their desktops font-settings), other linux
users who don't use the major desktops are the only ones who are
affected here, but as Andale Sans UI isn't available, it just tries
the font that is next in the list.

c) The other defaults (the ones for the document content (Headers,
etc.) are easily reconfigured in the Options (Default fonts for
documents), or can be set in a default document template

d) Other replacements can be setup with the replacement table mentioned above.

e) Changing VCL.xcu without giving thought into it will likely change
appearance of documents when the fonts aren't available and now LO
will choose a different font instead.

That all being said: If there is an actual problem with one of the
replacements for a given locale: Then of course it is possible to
enhance/modify the list. Expecially for "exotic" locales with
non-western writing systems the list might be lacking (in terms of
glyph coverage, i.e. using a font that doesn't cover the necessary
characters or similar).

ciao
Christian