Re: [Devel] Freetype 2.1.2 & rotated text

[Sander van der Wal]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Graham Asher" <address@hidden>
To: <address@hidden>
Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2002 12:29 PM
Subject: RE: [Devel] Freetype 2.1.2 & rotated text


> I can see the problems about compatibility, but I believe that in general
> the FreeType API, including the semantics of the FT_Matrix structure, is
not
> exposed by systems that use FreeType. Therefore the break in compatibility
> is not a problem. For example, the Symbian OS (aka EPOC) TrueType
rasterizer
> DLL uses FreeType 2. If at some future time it is changed to use a new,
> incompatible version of FreeType, it simply needs to be changed
internally.
> In fact this has already happened before, when I upgraded the Symbian
> TrueType rasterizer from FreeType 1 to FreeType 2. The external interface
> remained the same.
>
> This is also true for the three other clients for whom I have incorporated
> FreeType in their software.
>
> I don't understand why Sander has a problem, because I understood that his
> software also did not expose the FreeType API externally.

In Pdf+ I use freetype-2 directly, as it gives me the possibility to draw
rotated texts. For that I am using a font matrix, and the glyph is
transformed using that matrix.

In FontMachine I don't use matrices myself, but FreeType-2 probably will.

The freetype2.dll is a part of both packages.

A user install FontMachine with a fixed freetype2.dll. The same dll will now
be used by pdf+ because the fixed dll replaces the broken one. Now Pdf+ uses
the fixed one, but because it thinks freetype 2 is still broken, it fills
the matrix with the wrong values. The result is that rotated chars will be
wrong.

A user install Pdf+ with a fixed freetype2.dll. The same .dll is used will
now be used by FontMachine. This will probably work because in Fontmachine
no use is made of a matrix to rotate characters.

The problem is resolved when the user install a fixed pdf+. Unfortunately
this is not as straighforward as it should be. Pdf+ for the Nokia 9200
Series Communicator has the Nokia Ok logo, part of the deal is that pdf+
must be digitally signed by Noka, after being tested by a testing house.
This costs money and takes a lot of time.

If freetype2 is fixed by using a new entry for the fixed function, I only
have to supply an upgrade to the freetype2 distribution for the Nokia 9210.
I can do that for free. Pdf+ will use the broken entry, with special
parameters. Other software will start to use the new function.

Sander van der Wal