[Openfontlibrary] Linux and fonts (was on inkscape dev list)

[Denis Jacquerye]

On 4/23/07, Donn <donn.ingle at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello,
> Didn't get much authority on the Inkscape dev list (well not yet) - which
> surprised me a little. But John Philips advised me to pipe this over here;
> so, with some edits:
>
> I use Kubuntu (Dapper), but I reckon this will apply to a lot of distros:
> How do Linux fonts work?
*ubuntu installs a short list of packages to cover the most
"important" scripts. Unfortunately some of these packages install lots
of fonts. So although, the idea is to provide support for each
important script, sometimes some scripts have 30 fonts installed. See
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-meta/+bug/42926
Linux distribution should only install at most 5 or 6 font per script
(screen and print), and have all the decorative fonts as optional.

> I know that is simplistic and it has to do with fontconfig and a tonne of
> config files and a million type1 fonts in a bajillion folders, but can anyone
> get me started on the big picture?
>
> I'm asking because my little project, FontyPython, revolves around managing
> fonts etc. One of the most irksome things is to have fonts in a chooser (like
> under Inkscape) that I do not want there.
> For example, if I have *zero* fonts in my ~/.fonts directory, and I run
> Inkscape, about 600 fonts list in the chooser! That's just plain nuts! Man,
> that's cashew nuts, Brazil nuts!
> (I imagine I inadvertently installed a bunch of them by a casual apt-get
> sometime, but I cannot remember the invocation.)

FontyPython sounds like the right idea, for people who need those
fonts otherwise they should just not be installed. You most probably
installed many of those fonts. Kubuntu doesn't come with much more
than 100 fonts (already too many). Look at the list of ttf-* packages
required by kubuntu-desktop:
http://packages.ubuntu.com/feisty/metapackages/kubuntu-desktop

> So, I am wondering about ways to lessen this clutter and write a 'cleanup'
> script that can remove them from the system -- not delete them, just
> uninstall them or whatever the term is. If I cannot do this, then at least
> include a section in the FontyPython help to explain how to fix it.
>
> I can't even find these fonts by 'locate' or 'find'. There's one
> called "Christian Participants" which I don't like and never use and I cannot
> even find the file on the drive, let alone uninstall it!
>
> So, anyone with a clue? have mercy on me :)
> /d

Run the command
$ fc-list : file family style | grep "Christian Participants"
that will give you the path of the font files.
It's probably in the directory /usr/share/fonts/ttf-larabie-uncommon/
If you "dpkg-query -S " with that filename as argument, you'll know
which package is guilty (although its directory should give a hint) .
You'll have to run other commands than dpkg-query on other distributions.

> BTW - I have a few days to hack and Fonty Python is getting the ability to
> handle OTF and PFB fonts in the next release. This is through no deep
> understanding by myself, but is all due to the Python Imaging Library and the
> good work of the folks over there. It turns out all I needed to do was
> include "*.OTF" and "*.PFB" when filling my arrays with filenames. I *hope*
> it's that easy, tests seem positive.
>
>
> --
> "Life results from the non-random survival of randomly varying replicators."
> -- Richard Dawkins
>
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>


-- 
Denis Moyogo Jacquerye --- http://home.sus.mcgill.ca/~moyogo
Nkótá ya Kongó míbalé --- http://info-langues-congo.1sd.org/
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