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FreeType 2.6.4 released with new and better bytecode interpreter
- cm3 10y agoThe new interpreter has absolutely improved rendering of fonts, at least subjectively for me. CHANGES BETWEEN 2.6.3 and 2.6.4 I. IMPORTANT CHANGES - A new subpixel hinting mode has been contributed by Nikolaus Waxweiler, which is now the default rendering mode for TrueType fonts. It implements (almost everything of) version 40 of the bytecode engine. The existing code base in FreeType (the `Infinality code') was stripped to the bare minimum and all configurability removed in the name of speed and simplicity. The configurability was mainly aimed at legacy fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, or Courier. [Legacy fonts are fonts that modify vertical stems to achieve clean black-and-white bitmaps.] The new mode focuses on applying a minimal set of rules to all fonts indiscriminately so that modern and web fonts render well while legacy fonts render okay. Activation of the subpixel hinting support can be controlled with the `TT_CONFIG_OPTION_SUBPIXEL_HINTING' configuration option at compile time: If set to value 1, you get the old Infinality mode (which was never the default due to its slowness). Value 2 activates the new subpixel hinting mode, and value 3 activates both. The default is value 2. At run time, you can select the subpixel hinting mode with the `interpreter-version' property (provided you have compiled in the corresponding hinting mode); see `ftttdrv.h' for more.