font size, dpi and rendering in KDE and Gnome

[Felix Miata]

On 06/10/03 16:34 (GMT+0200) Dexter Filmore apparently typed:

> Am Montag, 2. Oktober 2006 20:58 schrieb Felix Miata:

>> Modern distros serve their own versions of X in varied ways. X is made up
>> of several components, any of which can have its own idea what DPI is or is
>> supposed to be. It's a complicated subject. That means no easy answer given
>> limited facts, and likely no easy answer even given copious facts. It
>> should work right out of the box, but often doesn't, sometimes because one
>> person's idea of "works" is different from the distro maker.

> And no, it actually *is* simple: provide screen dimensions in xorg.conf and 
> use the resulting values systemwide, I don't see how this is difficult.

Probably should be, but it isn't, even though it does seem simple. DDC is available to give X the display size, but many displays either don't have DDC, or have a broken DDC implementation. X is made up from a number of
components by different groups of people having different ideas about how things should work. That means the pieces can't be trusted to play nice together. The distro makers generally try to do that, but there are a lot of
complications, not the least of which is people who don't limit themselves to using only one display. Some people use multiple displays at once. Others, particularly laptop users, routinely switch among displays. There
really are too many complications for me to list, not the least of which is different ideas by hardware makers about how things should work. But by investigating, you'll probably find yourself amazed that it works as well
as it does for so many.

> Strange, works on OSX and a certain otherwise looked down upon operating 
> system from Redmond.

OSX is designed for a limited and well tested hardware set. M$ has hardware manufacturers making dedicated drivers and installation software. Linux users enjoy none of those luxuries.
-- 
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him,
and I am helped."				Psalm 28:7 NIV

 Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409

Felix Miata  ***  http://mrmazda.no-ip.com/
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