Typesetting/Font Size/Java 6

Here is what is happening when installing J on Linux using Java 6.0.

   JVERSION
Installer: j602a_linux32.sh
Engine: j602/2008-03-03/16:45
Library: 6.02.023

   2!:0 'uname -a'
Linux okubuntu9-x32 2.6.28-11-generic #42-Ubuntu SMP
Fri Apr 17 01:57:59 UTC 2009 i686 GNU/Linux

Here's my Font Chooser, which was written in 2006 before Java 6.0, and it works on all platforms and Javas without a problem and always shows consistent font sizes. (!) Oh, and it automatically matches the default platform look & feel -- Gnome desktop in this case.

This is what people see the first time they run J on Linux on Java 6.0.

It is another example that whatever strategy is used to adapt font sizes to display resolution is not working. If so, it should be replaced with normal font treatment without any wizardry.

This is what the session looks like.

An example of how such font representation affects applications.

This is the config Window. Note that the font is set to 12pt. (Whereas it should be 9 or 10pt to begin with. But even for 12pt this looks twice as large (as it turns out it is, see the Font Scale tool).

The font selection dialog continues to show minuscule unrelated font sample.

The font can be set using Configuration, how the size must be set to 5pt, which is ridiculously unrealistic. It is also evident that it is two times off.

Also it is only with "Monospace" 5 that the session is restored. Also ridiculously off.

The situation is immediately evident when we run our trusty Font Scale script.

It is back to normal, when we apply a compensative adjustment of 1/2 (one half!) that's two times (!) off. Note in previous version of Java the compensation required was 4/3, ie in the opposite direction.