This isn't something that can be fixed in rendering systems. It wouldn't be hard to do; it's just too much of a performance issue. It has to be addressed by the software calling the rendering system.
This interests me, because it addresses the concern about the impact of performance issues on users who do not benefit from what is being performed. If, for example, re-ordering of normalised text into font-renderable text takes place in the generic rendering engine, everyone is hit by the same performance impact, regardless of whether the software or the text they are working with requires the additional processing. If the re-ordering of normalised text happens before calling the rendering engine, within specific software applicaions, then it only needs to be done when required.
Is that a reasonable interpretation of your comment, Peter?
John Hudson
Tiro Typeworks www.tiro.com Vancouver, BC [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I sometimes think that good readers are as singular,
and as awesome, as great authors themselves.
- JL Borges
