Fedora Enables ClearType Subpixel Font Rendering Thanks To Microsoft

Written by Michael Larabel in Fedora on 31 October 2018 at 07:21 AM EDT. 64 Comments
FEDORA
Fedora has finally enabled ClearType sub-pixel rendering in FreeType for providing much nicer font rendering.

ClearType is Microsoft's sub-pixel font rendering technology to make fonts appear crisper on LCD displays. ClearType has been around for almost two decades and while upstream FreeType has supported, it hasn't been turned on in Fedora. Microsoft has at least nine patents covering ClearType as outlined on FreeType.org, which made it a no-go for Fedora to ship.

But now that Microsoft joined the Open Invention Network with 60,000+ patents, Fedora is comfortable in turning on ClearType!

Fedora's FreeType packages have now enabled ClearType code "thanks to Microsoft joining OIN" and then further fixed up today. Thereby fonts will begin looking much nicer on Fedora Workstation soon as the package updates are sent out.
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Michael Larabel is the principal author of Phoronix.com and founded the site in 2004 with a focus on enriching the Linux hardware experience. Michael has written more than 20,000 articles covering the state of Linux hardware support, Linux performance, graphics drivers, and other topics. Michael is also the lead developer of the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org automated benchmarking software. He can be followed via Twitter, LinkedIn, or contacted via MichaelLarabel.com.

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