Some BDF (bitmap distribution format) fonts that worked properly with MacX 1.2 may not import properly into MacX 1.5. These may be fonts provided with X-windows applications that have long been industry standards. This has been shown to be the case with .bdf fonts provided for use with Mentor Graphics' electronic design software.
In this case, the fonts may seem to import properly, but upon attempting to connect to a client that uses them, any of the following may occur to the server:
- Going to MACSbug with an unmapped PowerPC Memory Exception,
- The computer freezing,
- A MacX error about unmapped or invalid elements in a font directory.
This can be resolved by using a UNIX hosts' utilities to convert the font files to a different X-standard format, such as PCF. Then re-importing the directories into MacX or SNF, and using the snf2bdf conversion utility prior to importing into MacX.
It is reported that Mentor Graphics is aware of the issue.
This article was published in the 24 June 1997 "Information Alley".