Missing links to the URW+ fonts in 8.64's fontmap

[Ludovic Courtès]

Hello,

With GNU Ghostscript 8.64, I noticed the following:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
$ gs user.ps
GNU Ghostscript 8.64 (2009-02-03)
Copyright (C) 2009 Artifex Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
This software comes with NO WARRANTY: see the file PUBLIC for details.
Can't find (or can't open) font file %rom%Resource/Font/URWPalladioL-Roma.
Can't find (or can't open) font file URWPalladioL-Roma.
Can't find (or can't open) font file %rom%Resource/Font/URWPalladioL-Roma.
Can't find (or can't open) font file URWPalladioL-Roma.
Querying operating system for font files...
Can't find (or can't open) font file %rom%Resource/Font/URWPalladioL-Roma.
Can't find (or can't open) font file URWPalladioL-Roma.
Didn't find this font on the system!
Substituting font Courier for URWPalladioL-Roma.
Can't find (or can't open) font file %rom%Resource/Font/NimbusMonL-Regu.
Can't find (or can't open) font file NimbusMonL-Regu.
Can't find (or can't open) font file %rom%Resource/Font/NimbusMonL-Regu.
Can't find (or can't open) font file NimbusMonL-Regu.
[...]
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

The problem stems from the fact that links to the URW+ PFB files
disappeared from `Fontmap.GS' sometime between 8.62 and 8.64.

I solved it in the NixOS distribution with this patch:

<URL:https://svn.nixos.org/websvn/nix/?op=comp&compare[]=%***@15779&compare[]=%***@15780>

Do you confirm that this is the right approach?

Thanks,
Ludo'.

PS: `bug-***@gnu.org' seems to be swallowing emails without ever
publishing them and without sending any kind of notification to the
sender. Perhaps a misconfiguration?

[Karl Berry]

Hi Ludo,

PS: `bug-***@gnu.org' seems to be swallowing emails
without ever publishing them

No, that is not correct, as you can see since I just received your email
via bug-ghostscript. What happens is that the first time a sending
address mails to bug-ghostscript (and virtually all other GNU lists), a
human has to look at it and approve it, and approve the address for the
future. I trust the reason is obvious.

Usually this happens within 24 hours, but it can certainly take longer
on occasion, everyone involved being human.

and without sending any kind of notification to the sender.

That is also correct. Automated replies of any kind are the wrong thing
to do these days, because of forged spam. The replies end up going to
people who never sent email in the first place far more often than they
do anything helpful.

Perhaps a misconfiguration?

No. See http://listhelper.nongnu.org for more (laconic) info.

If you have any questions about mailing list setup, I'll be glad to
answer them, but email me off-list, as this has nothing to do with
Ghostscript.

Best,
Karl

[Didier Link]

Le Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:03:00 +0200,

Post by Ludovic Courtès
Hello,
--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
$ gs user.ps
GNU Ghostscript 8.64 (2009-02-03)
Copyright (C) 2009 Artifex Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
This software comes with NO WARRANTY: see the file PUBLIC for details.
Can't find (or can't open) font file
%rom%Resource/Font/URWPalladioL-Roma. Can't find (or can't open) font
file URWPalladioL-Roma. Can't find (or can't open) font file
%rom%Resource/Font/URWPalladioL-Roma. Can't find (or can't open) font
file URWPalladioL-Roma. Querying operating system for font files...
Can't find (or can't open) font file
%rom%Resource/Font/URWPalladioL-Roma. Can't find (or can't open) font
file URWPalladioL-Roma. Didn't find this font on the system!
Substituting font Courier for URWPalladioL-Roma.
Can't find (or can't open) font file
%rom%Resource/Font/NimbusMonL-Regu. Can't find (or can't open) font
file NimbusMonL-Regu. Can't find (or can't open) font file
%rom%Resource/Font/NimbusMonL-Regu. Can't find (or can't open) font
file NimbusMonL-Regu. [...]
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
The problem stems from the fact that links to the URW+ PFB files
disappeared from `Fontmap.GS' sometime between 8.62 and 8.64.
Do you confirm that this is the right approach?
Thanks,
Ludo'.

Hi Ludo,

I have just received your e-mail, I don't understand yet why I've not
find them in the mailing-list administration interface. Anyway, I can
answer now ;)

This is not a bug, I quote the Changelog :

2008-08-12 23:44:53.919723 Ray Johnston
Remove 'Actual Fonts' references in the Fontmap that connected
the URW FontName to an 8.3 filename that we no longer use.
[Resource/Init/Fontmap.GS]

On my Gentoo system gs-fonts-std-8.11 is installed with gs and the
interpreter search the fonts in the system fonts after the
ghostscript's Resources. Maybe the problem was on this
step for NixOS ? Can you send the output of 'gs --help' for looking at
the Search path configured for your version ?

Artifex has incorporated the URW fonts directly in the Resources loaded
in memory by gs, I've not included this fonts because I don't want to
have more included package in the executable than necessary.

Any comments about this option ?

Thanks.

Didier Link

[Ludovic Courtès]

Hi Karl,

Post by Karl Berry
No, that is not correct, as you can see since I just received your email
via bug-ghostscript. What happens is that the first time a sending
address mails to bug-ghostscript (and virtually all other GNU lists), a
human has to look at it and approve it, and approve the address for the
future. I trust the reason is obvious.

OK, thanks for explaining.

Post by Karl Berry
Usually this happens within 24 hours, but it can certainly take longer
on occasion, everyone involved being human.

I thought something was wrong because I originally sent it on May 29th
(according to what I have in my outbox). I sent it through Gmane,
though, which may have problems of its own.

Thanks,
Ludo'.

[Ludovic Courtès]

Salut Didier,

Sorry for the late reply.

Post by Didier Link
2008-08-12 23:44:53.919723 Ray Johnston
Remove 'Actual Fonts' references in the Fontmap that connected
the URW FontName to an 8.3 filename that we no longer use.
[Resource/Init/Fontmap.GS]

Who is "we"? :-)

`gnu-gs-fonts-std-6.0.tar.gz' from gnu.org still uses the 8.3 file names
AFAICS.

[...]

Post by Didier Link
Can you send the output of 'gs --help' for looking at the Search path
configured for your version ?

Here is the relevant part:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
Search path:
. : %rom%Resource/Init/ : %rom%lib/ :
/nix/store/b69pcm9dr47b7xgsh17xnqblzby2gbsq-ghostscript-8.64.0/share/ghostscript/8.64/Resource/Init :
/nix/store/b69pcm9dr47b7xgsh17xnqblzby2gbsq-ghostscript-8.64.0/share/ghostscript/8.64/lib :
/nix/store/b69pcm9dr47b7xgsh17xnqblzby2gbsq-ghostscript-8.64.0/share/ghostscript/8.64/Resource/Font :
/nix/store/b69pcm9dr47b7xgsh17xnqblzby2gbsq-ghostscript-8.64.0/share/ghostscript/fonts :
/nix/store/b69pcm9dr47b7xgsh17xnqblzby2gbsq-ghostscript-8.64.0/share/fonts/default/ghostscript :
/nix/store/b69pcm9dr47b7xgsh17xnqblzby2gbsq-ghostscript-8.64.0/share/fonts/default/Type1 :
/nix/store/b69pcm9dr47b7xgsh17xnqblzby2gbsq-ghostscript-8.64.0/share/fonts/default/TrueType :
/usr/lib/DPS/outline/base : /usr/openwin/lib/X11/fonts/Type1 :
/usr/openwin/lib/X11/fonts/TrueType :
/nix/store/jl4fbnysss51cq26swdhyjsc5z6mvsgv-cups-1.3.10/share/cups/fonts
Initialization files are compiled into the executable.
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

The fonts from `gnu-gs-fonts-std-6.0.tar.gz' and
`gnu-gs-fonts-other-6.0.tar.gz' are all right under
/nix/store/b69pcm9dr47b7xgsh17xnqblzby2gbsq-ghostscript-8.64.0/share/ghostscript/fonts/.

Post by Didier Link
Artifex has incorporated the URW fonts directly in the Resources loaded
in memory by gs, I've not included this fonts because I don't want to
have more included package in the executable than necessary.
Any comments about this option ?

Hmm, I'm afraid I don't sufficiently understand the pros and cons of
this option. I suppose 90% of the PostScript files that get interpreted
will actually need some of the URW+ fonts, so maybe it makes sense to
have them bundled with the executable, provided it's noticeably faster
than loading them from the files.

Thanks,
Ludo'.

[Karl Berry]

Post by Didier Link
Artifex has incorporated the URW fonts directly in the Resources loaded
in memory by gs,

I didn't know that. Thanks.

Post by Didier Link
I've not included this fonts because I don't want to
have more included package in the executable than necessary.
Any comments about this option ?

Hmm, I'm afraid I don't sufficiently understand the pros and cons of
this option. I suppose 90% of the PostScript files that get interpreted
will actually need some of the URW+ fonts, so maybe it makes sense to
have them bundled with the executable, provided it's noticeably faster
than loading them from the files.

On the con side, there are lots of versions of the URW++ fonts at this
point. Bundling them into the executable would make it harder to
determine exactly what fonts are being used, or to replace them.

I am doubtful that the speed difference is significant enough to warrant
the added "mystery".

Best,
Karl