bugFree UCS Outline Fonts - Bugs: bug #50885, Kerning in reformed Malayalam

 
 

bug #50885: Kerning in reformed Malayalam

Submitter:  David Corbett <dscorbett>
Submitted:  Wed 26 Apr 2017 04:47:32 PM UTC
   
 
Category:  character range Severity:  3 - Normal
Item Group:  letter positioning poor Status:  Postponed
Privacy:  Public Assigned to:  Stevan_White
Open/Closed:  Open Release:  * development
* Mandatory Fields

Add a New Comment Rich Markup
   

Wed 01 Nov 2017 08:46:56 AM UTC, comment #2: 

I'm postponing this until 'MLR ' support becomes feasible.
For now, all instances of that language tag are removed.

Steve White <Stevan_White>
Group administrator
Wed 26 Apr 2017 07:16:49 PM UTC, comment #1: 

Hi David,

Malayalam in FreeFont has been broken for some time.

There was a big push to support reformed script a few years ago, but it was a train wreck.  First, there was at the time a bug in Harfbuzz, whereby it activated 'MLR ' by default.  I don't know if this has been fixed, but at the time, in an attempt to gather support to get that fixed, we ran across Malayalam speakers who were vigorously opposed to anything suggesting a whisper of a connection to the reformed script, and who insisted that we remove it forthwith.  (Along with other demands.)

(I can say, I have read elsewhere that not everybody has such strong feelings one way or the other about which script is used, and thing both have their place.)

This is one of the big decisions I have to make before releasing the font.

Thanks for your report!

Steve White <Stevan_White>
Group administrator
Wed 26 Apr 2017 04:47:32 PM UTC, original submission:  

In FreeSerif, "'kern' kerning in Malayalam" does not apply to language system 'MLR ', so kerning is not applied to mal_ra.pstf in Malayalam’s reformed orthography. For example, this is kerned:

data:text/html;charset=utf-8,<div style="font: 300px FreeSerif; font-language-override: 'MAL'">%E0%B4%A0%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%9E%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%9E</div>

but this, where the ra is in a different position but which should look the same as the above, is not kerned:

data:text/html;charset=utf-8,<div style="font: 300px FreeSerif; font-language-override: 'MLR'">%E0%B4%A0%E0%B4%9E%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%9E%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B0</div>

David Corbett <dscorbett>

 

(Note: upload size limit is set to 16384 kB, after insertion of the required escape characters.)

Attach Files:
   
   
Comment:
   

No files currently attached

 

Depends on the following items: None found

Items that depend on this one: None found

 

Carbon-Copy List
  • -email is unavailable- added by Stevan_White (Posted a comment)
  • -email is unavailable- added by dscorbett (Submitted the item)
  •  

    There are 0 votes so far. Votes easily highlight which items people would like to see resolved in priority, independently of the priority of the item set by tracker managers.

    Only logged-in users can vote.

     

    Follow 4 latest changes.

    Date Changed by Updated Field Previous Value => Replaced by
    2017-11-01 Stevan_White StatusProceeding Postponed
    2017-04-26 Stevan_White Categoryindividual character(s) character range
        StatusNone Proceeding
        Assigned toNone Stevan_White

    Back to the top

    Powered by Savane 3.13-3230.
    Corresponding source code