PR#951: Fonts: document the “I need some font files to be present to function (any will do)” - packaging-committee

packaging-committee

#951 Fonts: document the “I need some font files to be present to function (any will do)”

Merged 4 years ago by james. Opened 4 years ago by nim.

nim/packaging-committee default-fonts into master

Fonts: document the “I need some font files to be present (any will do)” to function

Nicolas Mailhot • 4 years ago

aa5577c

guidelines/modules/ROOT/pages/FontsPolicy.adoc

file modified

		`@@ -177,6 +177,8 @@`
		`* [x] Non-font packages SHOULD NOT require specific font packages, and leave font selection to end-users,`
		`** except when the packaged software actually relies on those specific font packages,`
		`** except for convenience font metapackages, as defined in <<Assembling different-family font packages: font metapackages>>.`
		+ * [x] Non-font packages SHOULD require `font(:lang=en)` when they fail in the absence of system fonts,
		`+ ** hardcoding specific font families is not future-proof.`
		`* [x] Non-font packages MAY require font packages by name, when relying on specific on-disk font file paths,`
		** ie when software is not `fontconfig`-aware,
		`** however, there is no obligation for font packagers to keep those paths stable between releases. Font file formats are flexible, making any on-disk file layout temporary. Converting applications to fontconfig use is best.`

nim commented 4 years ago

This is the domain of i18n, but people raise a stink when it is not documented and they do something else that eventually fails

@petersen can correct if necessary

petersen commented 4 years ago

Yes, I think this is good enough for "this package needs a default European font" for now.

(A package that requires a specific font to function should specify that explicitly, as you also say next.)

ignatenkobrain commented 4 years ago

I somewhat disagree with this. Shouldn't it rather depend on langpacks-core-en?

Otherwise we are back to the problem that some random font will be selected.

nim commented 4 years ago

langpacks-core-en is the provider of font(:lang=en) nowadays (tomorrow i18n may choose to provide it with something else)

tagoh commented 4 years ago

One concern on this is what if applications wants a specific generic family. langpacks-core-font-* provides a default sans-serif font so far. if we have those sentence in the guidelines, how does it take care of such case? more likely to see for terminal applications say.

petersen commented 4 years ago

Just to clarify with https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/FontLangProvidesToLangpacks for F32 we have moved all the previously generated font(:lang=xx) provides from fonts packages into langpacks-core-font-xx.

Personally I think using Requires: langpacks-core-font-en is fine too.
We mainly wanted to keep font(:lang=xx) for compatibility with PackageKit-gtk3-module.