Chapter 3 Tutorial: Indic Scripts under the X Window System

An introduction to the issues involved in rendering indic scripts in the X Window System.

The X Window System is widely used as the graphical subsystem over which user interfaces are built. The original font handling model in X was designed to be modestly functional and reasonably efficient for Latin scripts. The font rendering model supported simple horizontal text layout.

The rendering requirements of Indic scripts are complex and it is difficult to reconcile these with the simple scheme supported by X. In this document we will examine the issues involved. The state of the art in Indic rendering will also be examined.