SPECIAL NOTE FOR UNIX USERS =========================== If you are installing this release of FreeType on a system that already uses release 2.0.5 (or even an older version), you have to perform a few special steps to ensure that everything goes well. 1. Enable the TrueType bytecode hinter if you need it ----------------------------------------------------- See the instructions in the file `TRUETYPE' of this directory. Note that FreeType supports TrueType fonts without the bytecode interpreter through its auto-hinter, which now generates relatively good results with most fonts. 2. Determine the correct installation path ------------------------------------------ By default, the configure script installs the library in `/usr/local'. However, many Unix distributions now install the library in `/usr', since FreeType is becoming a critical system component. If FreeType is already installed on your system, type freetype-config --prefix on the command line. This should return the installation path (e.g., `/usr' or `/usr/local'). To avoid problems of parallel FreeType versions, use this path for the --prefix option of the configure script. Otherwise, simply use `/usr' (or whatever you think is adequate for your installation). 3. Ensure that you are using GNU Make ------------------------------------- The FreeType build system _exclusively_ works with GNU Make (as an exception you can use make++ which emulates GNU Make sufficiently; see http://makepp.sourceforge.net). You will not be able to compile the library with the instructions below using any other alternative (including BSD Make). Trying to compile the library with a different Make tool prints a message like: Sorry, GNU make is required to build FreeType2. and the build process is aborted. If this happens, install GNU Make on your system, and use the GNUMAKE environment variable to name it. 4. Build and install the library -------------------------------- The following should work on all Unix systems where the `make' command invokes GNU Make: ./configure --prefix= make make install (as root) where `' must be replaced by the prefix returned by the `freetype-config' command. When using a different command to invoke GNU Make, use the GNUMAKE variable. For example, if `gmake' is the command to use on your system, do something like: GNUMAKE=gmake ./configure --prefix= gmake gmake install (as root) 5. Take care of XFree86 version 4 --------------------------------- Certain Linux distributions install _several_ versions of FreeType on your system. For example, on a fresh Mandrake 8.1 system, you can find the following files: /usr/lib/libfreetype.so which links to /usr/lib/libfreetype.6.1.0.so and /usr/X11R6/lib/libfreetype.so which links to /usr/X11R6/lib/libfreetype.6.0.so Note that these files correspond to two distinct versions of the library! It seems that this surprising issue is due to the install scripts of recent XFree86 servers (from 4.1.0) which install their own (dated) version of the library in `/usr/X11R6/lib'. In certain _rare_ cases you may experience minor problems if you install this release of the library in `/usr' only, namely, that certain applications do not benefit from the bug fixes and rendering improvements you would expect. There are two good ways to deal with this situation: - Install the library _twice_, in `/usr' and in `/usr/X11R6' (you have to do that each time you install a new FreeType release though). - Change the link in /usr/X11R6/lib/libfreetype.so to point to /usr/lib/libfreetype.so, and get rid of /usr/X11R6/lib/libfreetype.6.0.so The FreeType Team is not responsible for this problem, so please contact either the XFree86 development team or your Linux distributor to help clear this issue in case the information given here doesn't help. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright 2003, 2005 by David Turner, Robert Wilhelm, and Werner Lemberg. This file is part of the FreeType project, and may only be used, modified, and distributed under the terms of the FreeType project license, LICENSE.TXT. By continuing to use, modify, or distribute this file you indicate that you have read the license and understand and accept it fully. ---- end of UPGRADE.UNIX ---