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The font display in Links is determined by the fonts given to it by your terminal programme on the console and in X-Windows (xterm or rxvt). Depending upon your system, here is how to change it.

Page Contents

• 3.1.1 STM: Changing the Linux Console Display
• 3.1.2 XTerm and Rxvt: Changing the X-Windows Font

3.1.1 STM: Changing the Linux Console Display

Source: <http://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/utils/console/>

WARNING:

• This software should be used with extreme caution.
• If you do not have your precise screen rates available, do not use it.
• Read STM's accompanying documentation
• Always run in Test Mode (flag -n) before invoking for real.
• STM needs to be run as superuser / root.

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STM or "SVGATextMode" can greatly improve screen display on the Linux console. The below process is very lengthy and time-consuming, but if you do find a font display you are happy with, you can pretty much avoid starting X to get a decent display.

Warning: The Links display becomes garbled when used with frames support, as does mc(1).

After installing STM, some of the options you will want to edit include,

• Enable your given Chipset.
• Uncomment option 16color, if supported.
• Check the FontLoading entries.
• Change the HorizSync and VertRefresh ranges to your monitor rates. Double-check and re-check the numbers you enter. If you enter values beyond the capability of your monitor, you could damage it. (You have now been warned twice!)
• Set the line calling /usr/bin/setfont to /usr/bin/setfont -v, so you can see which font is being loaded.
• Try out the font styles and see what works, and what you like. Here is an example process:
  1. Run stm -n "132x43x8_small" and see if STM finds an error.
  2. If STM finds an error, choose another font style.
  3. If there is no error found with stm -n, then run stm "132x43x8_small".
  4. Do you like the font style? If you do, try scrolling around a page with text that populates the whole screen as there might be some rendering errors, like odd flickering character cells.
  5. Continue with (1-4) until you are satisfied with what you have got.
• Finally: you have read the STM documentation; you understand the risks of using the programme; you have a STM_reset programme available to you; the SyncDisks option is enabled; and everything seems to work fine. Then set your DefaultMode to your chosen display set, and get the Linux initiation process to automatically start STM at boot time.

Some hints:

• Never try a new display mode without first using STM with the -n flag.
• It will probably take quite some time to find a display that works for you, and one that you are happy with.
• Tip: I use "112x40" as DefaultMode and "132x43x8_16" for Links.
• Note: If you switch the console font display after starting X, you will find a garbled screen each time you return to the console. If you like a textmode, use it all the time and make sure it is set before you start X.
• If an invocation of STM is not loading the correct font, you will get garbled characters when the frames options are set in Links. Make sure that "setfont" is loading the correct font by setting the verbose flag "-v". (I am using "lat1u-16" which displays correctly.)

3.1.2 XTerm and Rxvt: Changing the X-Windows Font

See xterm(1) or rxvt(1).

You can change the character sizes and appearance in X, either by invoking Links with a bash(1) alias, or by setting a new default font for all your term windows in your .Xresources file.

Before setting these up, make sure you know your font alias names. Run locate fonts.alias or look through your "<PATH>/lib/X11/fonts/misc" directory for the filename "fonts.alias".

In the left hand column of "fonts.alias", you should find a number of entries with short names like "fixed", "variable", and "6x13" -- these are your font alias names.

Find an entry compatible with your chosen character set (e.g. iso8859-1) and try it out by launching an xterm or rxvt and Links with:

   xterm -fn 6x13 -e links <filename>, where 6x13 is a font alias (the one I use).

When you find one you're happy with, set up a bash alias in ".bash_profile" like

   alias links="xterm -fn 6x13 -e /usr/local/bin/links <filename>",

where <filename> is a default startup page for Links (for example, a local bookmarks file).

Alternatively, you can change the default font for all your xterm/rxvt terminal windows by adding the following line to your "$home/.Xresources" file:

   XTerm*Font: 6x13

This will work for both xterm(1) and rxvt(1).

Copyright (C) 2000 Cliff Cunnington, <cliff@ccnet.demon.nl>

Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.