[ros-dev] FixedSys-fonts

theUser BL theuserbl at hotmail.com
Wed Feb 8 15:00:56 CET 2006


As I see in ROS 0.2.9 the font in noteopad looks a lot of different to the 
font which Microsoft used in its Notepad.

In Win95/98 Microsoft used for Notepad FixedSys as font. In WinXP it used 
LucidaConsole.

But what is with FixedSys? Is it completly new created by Microsoft?
I think no.

Have a look at the PC-system font. I mean the VGA-font which you see, if you 
start your computer or which you see, when FreeLoader runs.

The PC-system have three standard fonts. The CGA font have 8x8 pixel. The 
EGA-font is a little bit bigger and the VGA-font is 8x16 pixel large. Today 
you see nearly only the VGA-fonts.

There existing also some OpenSource programs, which draws this fonts on the 
screen: QEmu, DosBox, freeBASIC, etc.

And if you compare this font with the Win95/Win98 fixedsys font, you will 
see, that letters like "A" and "O" are completly the same.
And the other letters have mostly only the squiggle, curlicue, flourish or 
how it is called erased.
If you erase it on letters like "B", "D", "F", "d" and so on, then the most 
majority of the letters looks completly like the fixedsys font of 
Win95/Win98.
Only the "0" and some other letters looks then different.

In WinXP the FixedSys font looks now different. I think there it is a 
completly new creation by Microsoft. It is also smaller (I think 7x14 or so) 
  then the old fixedsys font.

But I think, if anybody want to create a fixedsys font for ReactOS, then 
using the PC-system-fonts and removing the protruded lines, would be a good 
basis for the ReactOS fixedsys font.

The fixedsys font is a little bit unique.
It is not a extern TrueType font. It is integrated in the system.
It is also not a vector-graphic font. It exists only in one size. There 
existing no bold or italic version of it. And it will not be antialiased.
And if you remove all fonts of the Windows-System, Windows will use the 
fixedsys font insted.


Greatings
theuserbl




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