Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!apple!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!bloom-beacon!LARRY.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU!mouse
From: mouse@LARRY.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re:  Format of X font files
Message-ID: <9011290533.AA06374@Larry.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
Date: 29 Nov 90 05:33:23 GMT
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 18

> Is it possible to read the low level bits in the X font files?

Of course.  The BDF format (the format fonts are distributed in) is
documented.  The MIT server uses something called snf format, which is
documented somewhere (I'm not sure where, save that prseumably it's on
the MIT tape somewhere); I would hope that vendors that don't use snf
format would document their format.  (If they don't, you can always use
getbdf to get a BDF-format file....)

However, note that you may not be able to access the file corresponding
to an X font.  (Indeed, there may not even be such a file; I think at
least one X server has the `fixed' font compiled into the server as a
font of last resort....)

					der Mouse

			old: mcgill-vision!mouse
			new: mouse@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu