bug#34799: closed (font breakage, square boxes)

[GNU bug Tracking System]

Your message dated Wed, 10 Jun 2020 09:44:19 -0500
with message-id <87bllrugjg.fsf@disroot.org>
and subject line font breakage, square boxes
has caused the debbugs.gnu.org bug report #34799,
regarding font breakage, square boxes
to be marked as done.

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34799: http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=34799
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--- Begin Message --- Subject: font breakage, square boxes Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2019 02:48:14 +0000

A recent update breaks my fonts for most programs, making all characters show as empty boxes. This happens inside and outside tmux, across various terminal emulators, etc. It does not occur in deluge-gtk or my TTY. I experimented with rolling back and doing a partial upgrade from there. With this list of packages to upgrade, the issue comes back.

The following packages will be upgraded:
   font-terminus        4.40 → 4.47     /gnu/store/a3sksxcg43z7scag56mgg32mjnw2k6fd-font-terminus-4.47                                                       
   font-gnu-unifont     11.0.03 → 12.0.01       /gnu/store/ypljs2fyv33f6l55mj6spha7w2pxlr3w-font-gnu-unifont-12.0.01                                         
   mpd  0.21.4 → 0.21.5 /gnu/store/dgj45pd8cg9n9fs95mlw8yprkdrsb4fz-mpd-0.21.5
   gnunet-gtk   0.10.1 → 0.10.1 /gnu/store/3vz8z6wn0cdrfsbz9yxclzyn7vnb5w81-gnunet-gtk-0.10.1                                                                
   gnunet       0.10.1 → 0.10.1 /gnu/store/a8jahsmhk21vz350izp2zfn1dbb3bc3j-gnunet-0.10.1                                                                    
   gimp 2.10.8 → 2.10.8 /gnu/store/81z6bjvd9rx05l4hviisc98cirrn57z9-gimp-2.10.8
   ffmpeg       4.1.1 → 4.1.1   /gnu/store/4hcr7ygdhaxws6q5dj806cbvq0dkfgkw-ffmpeg-4.1.1                                                                     
   youtube-dl   2019.02.18 → 2019.03.01 /gnu/store/1glmmv0lv1szipgk3ikbjdgp9xnncvrm-youtube-dl-2019.03.01                                                    
   qucs-s       0.0.20 → 0.0.20 /gnu/store/vf4pbqbaxq87rgjxw98alhgcd4dmahyz-qucs-s-0.0.20                                                                    
   mpv  0.29.1 → 0.29.1 /gnu/store/xyfjhq1mcq4d4ijy65fxishz467r37kl-mpv-0.29.1
   vinagre      3.22.0 → 3.22.0 /gnu/store/gp3xi8zgxdxjiidk5b4wkq34vn08jv58-vinagre-3.22.0                                                                   
   zathura      0.4.3 → 0.4.3   /gnu/store/92pkqiqsa4ngm70mw8a4qn9jr7azj2ap-zathura-0.4.3                                                                    
   xinit        1.4.0 → 1.4.1   /gnu/store/d01b76z9kdyyajyxqln2m56i8ghdkdys-xinit-1.4.1                                                                      
   xdg-utils    1.1.3 → 1.1.3   /gnu/store/gmzvdpqzcrvf06pjb3594gvhc46zyd12-xdg-utils-1.1.3                                                                  
   ruby-pry     0.11.3 → 0.11.3 /gnu/store/vpv29xhpv7j1mi0plis1svqr7sf0n48j-ruby-pry-0.11.3                                                                  
   readline     7.0.5 → 7.0.5   /gnu/store/si88gb25621k0w60kij5lxksn8l24664-readline-7.0.5                                                                   
   python-glances       3.0.2 → 3.0.2   /gnu/store/9pa0x2s8jnldjkij7gb4yrinm0ccyj5q-python-glances-3.0.2                                                     
   pulseaudio   12.2 → 12.2     /gnu/store/hd3x89yknm4k6k4gw16jy5xk7idq1sxf-pulseaudio-12.2                                                                  
   pcmanfm      1.3.0 → 1.3.0   /gnu/store/b0585azqb0wibpx7qn6gr740f8fh6cw5-pcmanfm-1.3.0                                                                    
   minetest     0.4.17.1 → 5.0.0        /gnu/store/7n1dvbxqd2kk75sj4zi4snzw7d5y63cv-minetest-5.0.0                                                           
   fontconfig   2.13.1 → 2.13.1 /gnu/store/66jfnfgca7yi6xmpw6ax86cldvr016ia-fontconfig-2.13.1                                                                
   font-adobe-source-han-sans:jp        1.004 → 1.004   /gnu/store/zaj1ias1gdz3jmsgvhvn0c706aqw32b1-font-adobe-source-han-sans-1.004-jp                      
   dconf        0.28.0 → 0.28.0 /gnu/store/x6dgfq8b382jgciq24zcxlgpgxfxaxk2-dconf-0.28.0                                                                     

It is hard to say what is to blame here. Three separate font packages are being upgraded as well as fontconfig. Attached is a screenshot showing what this breakage looks like. I worry that holding back fontconfig might  lead to issues with the other fonts upgrading. I don't know if those fonts all updated due to universal font changes.

$guix --version

guix (GNU Guix) 2b613a1a5d4d41b0b5d1f6ea7254585be0c209fa

rightdesktop.png
Description: PNG image

--- End Message ---

> --- Begin Message ---
>
>
>
> Subject: 
>
> font breakage, square boxes
>
>
>
>
> Date: 
>
> Wed, 10 Jun 2020 09:44:19 -0500
>
>
>
>
> Hello.
>
> Bradley Haggerty said that the fix provided by Tobias Geerinckx-Rice
> worked for him.
>
> Closing.
>
>
> --- End Message ---