Dear Werner, Lawrence, As a quick fix, I want to propose the additional item to FAQ.
Q: How to implement Asian vertical writing text by FreeType 2? I heard it had been available before OpenType. A: FreeType 2 does not support it. Before OpenType, the text renderers did many non-systematic hacks, like the detection of the writing mode by using the modified font name, the renderer-side glyph rotation for the vertical writing mode, or digging the pre-rotated glyphs at the PUA codepoints in the font, etc etc. The modern operating systems and font developers switched to the OpenType or TrueTypeGX, and the fonts designed for such legacy technologies are no longer widely distributed. So, FreeType 2 is not going to support them, if no new patches are proposed by the volunteers. BTW, I wonder whether current last answer referring Pango should be improved by referring HarfBuzz. Yes, Pango is still essential part of GTK+, but HarfBuzz is becoming more general framework broader than GTK+. How do you feel? -- I would consider the additional text to add the vertical metrics discussion in later. Regards, mpsuzuki
