[14058] in Athena Bugs
decmips 7.7K: ez: "bigger"
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (wdc@MIT.EDU)
Wed Dec 13 18:39:32 1995
From: wdc@MIT.EDU
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 95 18:39:21 -0500
To: Carla Fermann <carla@MIT.EDU>, bugs@MIT.EDU
Cc: cfyi@MIT.EDU
>To: bugs@MIT.EDU
>Subject: decmips 7.7K: ez: "bigger"
>Date: Mon, 06 Feb 1995 11:19:41 EST
>From: Carla Fermann <carla@MIT.EDU>
>
>System name: starfleet-command
>Type and version: KN02ca 7.7K (1 update(s) to same version)
>Display type: PMAG-DV
>
>
>
>Hi! I'm using the normal ez, out of /usr/andrew/bin/ez.
>
>When you use "bigger" to make text bigger, it doesn't look like it
>works. The first time, it doesn't seem to be noticeably bigger. The
>second time, it does look bigger. The third time, though, it goes back
>to looking like it did originally.
>
>When you preview it, though, it is correct.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Carla
>
MERCY! Did you really ask this back in February? The answer is not pleasant,
but it is simple to give, and should, perhaps be a stock answer.
The reason why the text shown on the screen from EZ doesn't LOOK bigger
sometimes, is that the X server lacks the font to display it properly.
More modern X servers than the DECMips X server can do font interpolation
so sometimes you will see things get a little bigger even if no font that
perfectly matches the size can be found.
The unpleasant reality is that the DECStation lacks the right font, and
EZ makes do by showing the text in the same font twice. This problem hits
particularly nastily with EZ because each "bigger" is supposed to increase
the font point size by two. DECStations have 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, and 24 point
fonts. EZ starts with 12 point fonts to display which means, on the DECStation
you're guaranteed to fail on <bigger,bigger> (no 16 point).
Years ago, my BEGGING for 16 point fonts was to no avail.
-wdc
