On Mon, 24 Nov 1997 00:37:52 -0500,
"T. Sean (Theo) Schulze" <71410.25@compuserve.com> wrote:
> On 11/23/97 at 10:31 PM Ken Nakata, kenn@remus.rutgers.edu wrote:
> 
> >On Fri, 21 Nov 1997 18:30:01 -0500,
> >"T. Sean (Theo) Schulze" <71410.25@compuserve.com> wrote:
> >> 
> >> I have considered this method, but when there is eventually a color 
> >> server to go with 1.3_alpha's Xserver I would probably have to re-gzip 
> >> all of the fonts.
> >
> >Not awfully likely, since gzip can handle compress .Z files...
> 
> ...but your Xmacbsd.960512 server can't.  At least I understand that is 
> why I couldn't use your server with the 1.3_alpha X distribution.  

"gzip can handle compress .Z files" -> "The new X server handles .gz
files, therefore will (probably) be happy with compressed (.Z) font
files"

Converse is not, off course, true.

> If I understand what you wrote above 
> correctly, I would not have to change the fonts back, because the 
> 1.3_alpha server uses gzip to handle the fonts and it is capable of using 
> the fonts in compressed format.  Is my understanding correct?

I don't know whether or not our new X server calls gzip to unzip the
font file, but I know it is based on XFree86 source now, and XFree86
server used to fork gzip to handle .gz font files in the past (it's
probably no longer the case anymore, though).

My point was, code handling compress .Z format may still be present in
the server code, and if so, you won't have to gunzip and re-compress
the font files.  All necessary for the server is decompression routine
and LZW algorithm (used by compress) is patented in a way such that
decompression algorithm is not part of the patent.  Therefore, there
is no conceivable reason why anyone wants to remove decompression
routine from the server code, or at least I can't think of any reason.

Ken