Ceci est une ancienne révision du document !
Every now and then, you’ll want to add some pizazz to your Word document or presentation. This is usually done by adding fonts to your Windows XP system. It’s as simple as giving XP a folder of fonts (bottom left in the above image) and clicking OK. The fonts will be added to your system and be available to any application the next time the app is loaded.
Kubuntu
Kubuntu (and KDE in general) makes it even easier to add a font. Simply right-click any Windows compatible font file and choose to open it with KFontView: This will give you a preview of the font, and, if you wish to install the font, simply click the ‘Install…’ button at the bottom right of the window.
Gnome-Shell
When using Gnome, there is a semi-automatic way of installing extra fonts. Simply use the Software center. Type font or True Type Font in the search field, and you’ll get a list of all fonts available in your system. Choose the one you want to install and let the program do the rest.
Another way is to download font files and store them in your home directory. Now double-click the file (with extension fon, fnt, ttc, ttf or otf), and you see examples of the lettertype. At the bottom-right, you can click on the button Install Font. If everything could be that simple!
With gnome-tweak-tool, it is possible to change the default font for certain items. Open the program and click in the left column on Fonts. Now it is possible to change the default font, monospace, document font, and window title font. Also you can set the values for hinting and antialiasing.
Xubuntu
Given the minimalist approach of the file manager in Xfce, there is no automatic way of installing fonts in Xubuntu. However, it only takes a few steps to install a font manually.
To install a font on your whole system, you can do the following:
Open the file manager (thunar) as an administrative user with this command:
gksudo thunar
Navigate to /usr/share/fonts/, create a new folder for your fonts, and move your .ttf files to it.
Close thunar and run this command for the system to pick up the changes:
sudo fc-cache -f
Alternatively, if you wish to install (or restrict access to) the font for only your own use, you can do the following:
Create a .fonts/ directory in your home directory and move your .ttf files to it.
Then, for the system to pick up the changes, just run:
fc-cache -f
Now your new fonts should be available to your applications and desktop environment.
Lubuntu
As with Xubuntu above, there is no “automatic” processing to install fonts in Lubuntu. In fact, the process in Lubuntu is virtually the same as in Xubuntu, so there seems little point to reiterate what has already been competently documented [under Xubuntu]. Two quick points of distinction, however, for Lubuntu:
In Lubuntu, the file manager is PCManFM. You can open PCManFM as superuser in one of two ways:
From the command line, enter:
gksudo pcmanfm
You are then prompted for your root password. Upon providing your password and clicking OK (or pressing Enter), PCManFM will open – along with a small dialog box which states: Error Permission Denied.
This is extremely misleading because the message is wrong! You do, in fact, have permission and PCManFM is, in fact, running as root, so treat it with respect! Simply click OK in the dialog box to close it, and you are ready to navigate your file system as root using PCManFM.
One important caveat: you will notice that the path field is “blacked out” with a red “bang” at the left end of the field. To be honest, I have no idea what the actual intent of this behavior is supposed to accomplish other than to remind you that you are running as root (and that’s a very important visual aid!); however, I discovered that triple-clicking in the path field will reveal the path string. In fact, once you’ve triple-clicked in this field, it can be used as in a “normal” (i.e. non-root) instance of PCManFM; however, each time the path changes, you need to triple-click in the field again to reveal its contents. If all this is intended to constantly remind you that you are running as root, then that’s fantastic; otherwise, it can be a bit of nuisance.
You can, of course, open PCManFM as a user from the GUI (Accessories > File Manager), and then invoke a root instance. Once PCManFM is open, you can navigate to any folder, then, from the menu bar, select Tools > Open Current Folder as Root. You will then be prompted for your root password, and a new instance of PCManFM will open as root. Unlike opening as root from the command line, you are not provided with the misleading dialog box; however, all other functionality is the same.
NOTE: Once you have a root instance open, you will have root privileges to any folder/file to which you navigate! Root privileges are not limited only to the folder from which you invoked the root instance of file manager, even though that seems to be implied by the menu title (“Open Current Folder as Root”). Be warned!!
You are not limited to installing only .ttf font files in the fonts directory (either the system directory or the user directory); you can also install .otf (OpenType Font) font files and they will work, too.
A quick comment on fonts and font management in minimalist distros like Lubuntu: There is a wonderful font management program available in most repositories called FontyPython. This lovely little program excels at managing your installed fonts, displays a preview of selected fonts, and allows you to create “Pogs”: custom collections of fonts. And, as if that’s not enough, the “Monty Python” parallels are carried throughout the application; quite humorous.
So, even though Lubuntu doesn’t come with “fancy” font previewing software preinstalled, it’s a snap to drop it in and get even more nifty functionality (like Pogs), not to mention clever “Python-isms”.
QUICK MY STORY
In 2007 my husband bought me a laptop as a surprise. It was an Acer Aspire loaded with Vista. I struggled with it for about six weeks and got more and more frustrated facing 'Allow or Deny?' at almost every step.
I had been using computers for quite a long time at that point, starting with an Apple and Win3.1 back in the early 90s, working up to an iMac at home and Windows at the university where I was working.
I'd been a member of an online forum where I became friends with the tech guy of a company in the mid-west. He'd been talking to me for a while about Linux, in his personal life and also on the company computers. So much of what he said was intriguing that I started to think that maybe I could try Linux, too.
One October weekend in particular I'd had enough. I started looking through various websites trying to get a sense of what flavor of Linux was the easiest to use for newbies, had the best support as far as technical information and moral support for those with no previous experience. Everything pointed to Ubuntu. I downloaded 7.04 and dumped Vista.
My Acer was equipped with wireless, but it wasn't working. I started investigating that and learned more about my system in that time than I had previously learned about PCs. Then the “Update” dialog popped up and I was notified that 7.10 was available. I downloaded all the updates and restarted. The system came back on, and I just happened to be staring at the indicator area when the wired icon went out and was replaced with a wireless icon! I was hooked right there, and was a happy convert after that.
Amanda Makepeace