SuSE Linux: Version 7.2
This article refers to an older version of SuSE Linux.
Therefore some of the informations given in this article may
be outdated or the article may contain stale links.
Kernel: Version 2.4.4
XFree86: Version 4.03
In addition, since the graphics card driver is in charge of displaying fonts in anti-aliasing mode, it must be equipped with the RENDER extension.
Note: Numerous Truetype fonts are subject to copyright regulations. For this reason, we cannot include such well-known fonts
as "arial", "times new roman", or "verdana" in the distribution.
Thank you for your understanding!
xdpyinfo |grep RENDERThe next line should display the output:
RENDERIf this is not the case, please make sure that you have installed XFree86 version 4.0.3.
xf86version
will tell you what version of XFree86
is currently running on your system.
KDE2 programs can use anti aliasing even when running under a different window
manager like Windowmaker. This only works if an environment variable is globally set.
To do this, edit the file /etc/profile.local
as "root" user.
If this file does not exist, you can easily create it by executing:
touch /etc/profile.localInsert the following entry:
export QT_XFT=1
As of August 12, 2002, Microsoft offers the possibility to freely download True Type fonts like "arial", "arial black", "times new roman", "verdana", etc. Thus, the program fetchmsttfonts (included in SuSE Linux up to version 8.0) is no longer usable. Please refer to the following URL for further information:
http://www.microsoft.com/typography/fontpack/default.htm
Nevertheless, you can further install any Truetype fonts of your choice. Write them to the directory /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/truetype/ and execute the following command (we recommend you to use cut&paste) as root user in the console:
cd /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/truetype/ /usr/X11R6/bin/ttmkfdir|sed s/^[0-9]*// > fonts.scale.neu
By doing this, the Truetype fonts will be made usable for SuSE Linux. Finally, restart SuSEconfig and your X server.
Note: Please note that the names of Truetype fonts must always be written in lowercase. They must not contain any special characters or umlauts. If necessary, you will have to rename the fonts.
4.Checking anti-aliasing fonts.
The command xmag enlarges any part of your desktop. Start xmag from a console and click on the small edge on a text of your choice, e.g. a KDE2 menu. If you can see pixels in different shades of grey or other colors between the pixels of the normal font in the xmag window, then the anti-aliasing font is activated.
5.Tip for LCD display's or laptop's owners:
An additional option has proved to be very helpful in order to improve the quality of anti-aliasing fonts when using a LCD display. For this purpose, you only have to edit a file (or to create it in case it does not exist) as a normal user in your home directory.
touch .xftconfig
Edit the file with an editor of your choice (e.g. pico) and insert the line:
match edit rgba = rgb;
This option is not mandatory. Use it only if it results in a better display. In some cases (e.g. with a CRT display), this option has proved to have a disturbing effect.
Have a lot of fun!