setting X server DPI

[Tom Horsley]

On Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:01:39 +1030
Tim wrote:

> > 96x96 should be the default. I don't know why it isn't.  
> 
> No.  The DPI should be set to the values that actually represent the
> hardware.

Actually, that attitude is the one that is utter nonsense. If you
want to get slavish about "actual representation", then you need to
know the distance of the viewer and specify font sizes by the angular
diameter the viewer will experience with the font :-).

The reason 96 should be the default is that 96 can at least be read
on every display device I've ever seen, so you'll at least be able
to see what your are doing while getting things set the way you
actually want them.

The "actual representation" of a 9 point font (a perfectly readable
size on a laser priner) makes about 3 or 4 pixels available to render
lower case letters on a 46 inch 1920x1080 HD display. Great fun trying
to navigate to the font settings dialog when all the menu items
are 4 pixels high.

Or consider Samsung HD displays. The one I just got has EDID info
that claims it is 160 x 90 millimeters - that gives 305 DPI as the
"actual representation" which makes the fonts so large the font
settings dialog won't fit on the screen.

Then there are projectors. You can't possibly tell what the
"actual representation" is because it depends on how far away the
screen it.

By all means let the actual representation fanatics set the DPI
to the actual representation if that is what they want, but for
Gods sake don't make it the default setting. Make the default
something everyone will be able to read.