Re: go-ttf dependency on ttmkfdir2

[David Holland <dholland-pkgtech%netbsd.org@localhost>]

On Wed, Dec 24, 2025 at 10:53:47AM +0300, Valery Ushakov wrote:
 > It's still not clear to me, why it is (or must be as you seem to
 > imply) a run time dependency.

Does it get run when you uninstall the font? Looks like it. That's
enough reason, anyway.

 > You use ttmkfdir to create fonts.scale
 > files for X server, iirc.  That's just one very specific use of ttf
 > fonts.  E.g. most of the machines I install ttf fonts on are headless
 > or effectively headless and I install those fonts for use with emacs
 > (make-frame-on-display over an ssh tunnel).  

I guess we could have a separate package that creates and maintains
those files, which you wouldn't bother installing if you weren't
running an X server. (But then you'd also have to know to install it
if you were, etc.)

However, triggering that package to update itself when you install a
font would require a mechanism we don't have. (Although probably we
should grow it, because it's the right way to deal with mktexlsr and
other similar issues. So maybe sometime...)

 > Why fonts need to be reinstalled if freetype2 is updated?

This is because our depends system isn't flexible/detailed enough.
It's basically the same as library updates that do vs. don't have
major version bumps, except here the issue is something like "the
ttmkfdir2 output format changed".

-- 
David A. Holland
dholland%netbsd.org@localhost