FreeType Improvements For The Adobe Engine

[Ropid]

Know you can change Freetype's run-time behaviour with an environment variable:

export FREETYPE_PROPERTIES="truetype:interpreter-version=40"

Other values are 35 and 38 for the previous interpreters. There are more, but you'd need to go through the documentation to find them all. See here.

Also Debian and likely many Debian-based distros can have their default hinting method altered system-wide by running (as root):

$ dpkg-reconfigure fontconfig-config

The environment variable you mention is beside the point and still causes those bugs in those unpatched programs.

What you have to do to make those unpatched programs work correctly is to compile freetype2 yourself and uncomment the "#define FT_CONFIG_OPTION_SUBPIXEL_RENDERING" line in include/freetype/config/ftoption.h. That option is by default disabled starting with 2.8.1 because there's now a new algorithm to do sub-pixel rendering.

[carewolf]

Which completely broke font rendering in every other application, from Wine to Chrome and Thunderbird, text now has pixel garbage

Just things that used Skia, because Skia had a nasty bug in the way it used FreeType

[carewolf]

The environment variable you mention is beside the point and still causes those bugs in those unpatched programs.

What you have to do to make those unpatched programs work correctly is to compile freetype2 yourself and uncomment the "#define FT_CONFIG_OPTION_SUBPIXEL_RENDERING" line in include/freetype/config/ftoption.h.

Which is default enabled if you are using a Debian based distro.

[sdack]

Which is default enabled if you are using a Debian based distro.

You don't need to set the define. Programs such as WINE and Thunderbird work just fine when you compile and install the vanilla version of freetype. Even when mixed in with Debian apps did this never give me a problem. I'm guessing, when he previously patched his sources then it's likely the patches, which are now breaking, but only he will know and right now it seems he's rather frustrated, because he doesn't.

[mudig]

The hinting changes in git master are relevant because most distros ship with the core PostScript fonts (helvetica, times, courier etc.) in Type1 format.

A problem may be that old fonts have faulty hinting. We'll see

The font rendering problems are caused by misuse of the FreeType API in e.g. Skia.

[carewolf]

The hinting changes in git master are relevant because most distros ship with the core PostScript fonts (helvetica, times, courier etc.) in Type1 format.

A problem may be that old fonts have faulty hinting. We'll see

The font rendering problems are caused by misuse of the FreeType API in e.g. Skia.

I don't think Type 1 fonts have hinting.

Edit: No, I remembered wrong. Type1 has hinting, it is Type3 that doesn't

[carewolf]

Not bad: https://pasteboard.co/GM8K3qb.png

[elvenbone]

Not bad: https://pasteboard.co/GM8K3qb.png

Please tell me the new one is on the left.

[carewolf]

Please tell me the new one is on the left.

It is.

Note this is with full hinting. With slight or no hinting there is no difference.

[elvenbone]

Note this is with full hinting. With slight or no hinting there is no difference.

Ah okay. Thanks for the info, I always get lost in all the different options of freetype.