[Fontconfig] Request for implementing font substitution for CJK fonts

[Akira TAGOH]

On Thu, May 31, 2012 at 11:41 PM, BlissSam <m13253 at hotmail.com> wrote:
> So let's talk about CJK fonts. If SimSun is missing, will SimKai replace it? No, though they are all serif font, they look totally different.

True. I suppose we could have the sort of metrics-alias.conf for
Chinee fonts according to the classification of Hei, Kai and Song.

> What fontconfig's fallback feature should do is:
> - Keep a list of what fonts are compatible
> - When a font is missing, firstly search for that list to choose a compatible font
> - If that font is not on the list, choose another font has the same sans/serif attribute
> - If no info can be found from that font (e.g. it is not in TTF/OTF format so that you can have nothing got from it), simply choose the user's favorite font which is specified in his/hers ~/.fonts.conf or somewhere else. This is the worst plan.

Well, not exactly for the last one. what the font the user prefer is
really up to them. it's basically out of the control in fontconfig.
they can change the order in .fonts.conf to what they like.

> A list should be maintained, I know. But it is really the work of fontconfig, not the distro.

I'm not too concerned about maintaining metrics-alias.conf because
it's somewhat obvious and less affects to other languages. but am
concerned about maintaining 60-latin.conf and 65-nonlatin.conf in
fontconfig. though I mentioned in the previous mail too, a part of
what you want to do is to update 65-nonlatin.conf. so I'm suggesting
to do that in the font upstream or distros.

>  Does a distro keep a list of compatible fonts?

Not really, but some distros has own list.

-- 
Akira TAGOH