XFonts

Table of Contents

could not open default font 'fixed'

manually update
following no-good post, in stable
following no-good post, in etch

could not open default font 'fixed'

manually update

Symptom

Fatal server error:
could not open default font 'fixed'

Solution

ln -s /usr/share/fonts/X11/misc/* /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/
mkfontdir /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc
update-fonts-alias misc

Reason

xfonts-base installed places are totally different between 6.9 & 7.0.

$ dpqif xfonts-base
/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc
/etc/X11/fonts/X11R7/misc/xfonts-base.alias

$ acpl xfonts-base
xfonts-base:
  Installed: 1:1.0.0-3
  Candidate: 1:1.0.0-3
  Version table:
 *** 1:1.0.0-3 0
        600 http://gulus.usherbrooke.ca etch/main Packages
         40 http://gulus.usherbrooke.ca unstable/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Trying History

mkfontdir /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc
update-fonts-alias misc

cd /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc

$dir -tr | tail
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 108241 Apr  4 00:41 fonts.cache-1
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  24343 Jul  5 01:45 fonts.dir
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  37730 Jul  5 01:45 fonts.alias

$ date
Wed Jul  5 01:46:11 CEST 2006

$ grep '^fixed' /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/*.alias
fixed        -misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-120-75-75-c-60-iso8859-1
fixed        -misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-120-75-75-c-60-iso8859-1

$ grep misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-120-75-75-c-60-iso8859-1 /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/fonts.dir

No found.

$ grep misc-fixed-medium /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/fonts.dir
lt1-18.pcf.gz -misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--18-170-75-75-c-90-iso8859-1

ln -s /usr/share/fonts/X11/misc/* /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/
mkfontdir /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc

grep misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-120-75-75-c-60-iso8859-1 /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/fonts.dir
6x13-ISO8859-1.pcf.gz -misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-120-75-75-c-60-iso8859-1
[...]

following no-good post, in stable

$ grep ^fix /etc/X11/fonts/misc/xfonts-base.alias
fixed        -misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-120-75-75-c-60-iso8859-1

$ grep misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-120-75-75-c-60-iso8859-1 /usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc/fonts.dir
6x13-ISO8859-1.pcf.gz -misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-120-75-75-c-60-iso8859-1
6x13-ISO8859-16.pcf.gz -misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-120-75-75-c-60-iso8859-16
6x13-ISO8859-11.pcf.gz -misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-120-75-75-c-60-iso8859-11

following no-good post, in etch

http://forums.linuxiso.org/viewtopic.php?t=28644&

grep ^fix /etc/X11/fonts/misc/xfonts-base.alias
grep misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-120-75-75-c-60-iso8859-15 /usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc/fonts.dir

No found.

apt-get --reinstall install xfonts-base

Then, redo above, still no found.

cd /etc/X11/fonts/misc
mv xfonts-base.alias xfonts-base.alias-

pushd /dev/shm/
dpkg-deb -x /var/cache/apt/archives/xfonts-base_1%3a1.0.0-3_all.deb xbase

grep ^fixed xbase/etc/X11/fonts/misc/xfonts-base.alias

dpkg --force-depends -r xfonts-base
dpkg -i /var/cache/apt/archives/xfonts-base_1%3a1.0.0-3_all.deb

pushd

cp /dev/shm/xbase/etc/X11/fonts/X11R7/misc/xfonts-base.alias xfonts-base.alias

grep ^fixed /etc/X11/fonts/misc/xfonts-base.alias
grep misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-120-75-75-c-60-iso8859-1 /usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc/fonts.dir

No found.

$ grep misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-120-75-75-c-60-iso8859-1 /usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc/fonts.alias
fixed        -misc-fixed-medium-r-semicondensed--13-120-75-75-c-60-iso8859-1

Found!

dir /usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc/fonts.alias

Just updated.