URL: <https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?68014>
Summary: deprecate `.ft P` and `\f[P]` as reversions to
previous font selection (except in compatibility mode)
Group: GNU roff
Submitter: gbranden
Submitted: Thu 05 Feb 2026 12:04:40 AM UTC
Category: Core
Severity: 1 - Wish
Item Group: Feature change
Status: Postponed
Privacy: Public
Assigned to: None
Open/Closed: Open
Discussion Lock: Unlocked
Planned Release: None
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Follow-up Comments:
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Date: Thu 05 Feb 2026 12:04:40 AM UTC By: G. Branden Robinson <gbranden>
This is just some nasty non-orthogonality.
`.ft P` was never necessary since `.ft` without an argument has existed
"forever".
The syntaxes are an unnecessary barrier to having a font named "P".
In _groff_-compatible formatters, `\f[]` has long existed to perform this
function as an escape sequence. In my opinion it was a mistake to give
`\f[P]` special meaning when it was new syntax to learn anyway, and `\f[]` was
already present.
Legacy documents of course use the hell out of `\fP`, so we're stuck with it
there.
Born postponed.
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