[gentoo-user] Re: FreeType unpatented auto-hinter?

[Nikos Chantziaras <realnc@arcor.de>]

On 09/26/2011 06:13 PM, Nilesh Govindarajan wrote:
> Somebody on twitter told me that Ubuntu uses a special patch for
> freetype that improves font rendering manifolds.
>
> So I rebuilt freetype with these useflags: +auto-hinter +bindist

When you emerge freetype, it tells you at the end that the bindist USE 
flag does not longer control the auto-hinter.

Also, as another poster mentioned, this is no longer an issue.  The 
patent expired so the auto-hinter is no longer required.


> What is the difference between this unpatented auto hinter and the
> TrueType BC interpreter?

The main difference is that the auto-hinter doesn't take into account 
the font's hinting instructions, resulting in non-optimal hinting.  In 
short: don't use it.

For best looking fonts, disable both the "auto-hinter" and "bindist" USE 
flags.  The bindist USE flag controls the subpixel-rendering algorithm, 
which is still patented by Microsoft in the USA.

So for best results (which is what Ubuntu uses), you need the BC 
interpreter (you get that by disabling the "auto-hinter" flag) and the 
subpixel renderer (by disabling the "bindist" flag).