Update OpenSUSE 11.4 with good looking fonts

Font smoothing and subpixel rendering is not configured/enabled by default in OpenSUSE 11.4. It seems like there are patents (see link) around subpixel rendering that prevents FOSS distros from enabling this be default.

For smallish installation (home use or experimentation) this might not be too much of a deal but of course who really knows that the patent owner will do to enforce it. So if you are not comfortable doing this, please stop.

First, need to download subpixel package by muzlocker. This can be done in a console.

sudo zypper addrepo http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/muzlocker/openSUSE_11.4/ subpixel
sudo zypper ref
sudo zypper dup

Next, create .Xdefaults, from a console do:

cd ~
touch .Xdefaults
kwrite .Xdefaults

Then copy the following:

Xft.autohint: 0
Xft.lcdfilter: lcddefault
Xft.hintstyle: hintslight
Xft.hinting: 1
Xft.antialias: 1
Xft.dpi: 96
Xft.rgba: rgb 

Next up, create .fonts.conf file, can be created in console, like:

cd ~
touch .fonts.conf
kwrite .fonts.conf

Then copy/paste the following:

  
    
      rgb
    
  
  
    
      true
    
  
  
    
      hintslight
    
  
  
    
      true
    
  

To ensure that changes take effect, logout then log back in. If not working, reboot.

Enjoy!

References:
subpixel packages by MuZlockER

Keywords:
OpenSUSE, font smoothing, subpixel rendering

~ts