[posted to comp.lang.tcl, tkgs-devel@[...].net, 
tkgs@[...].com, tkgs-list@[...].com]
[followups to tkgs-devel@[...].net]

Hi folks,

I have just committed major changes to the TkGS CVS on SourceForge. The
project page is here:

	http://sourceforge.net/projects/tkgs

The main changes concern font support. Previous versions only provided
minimal text output support. The current version now support similar
features as Tk, ie:

 - Full Unicode support, both in Unicode and UTF-8 format, as well as
   system-specific encoding support.
 - Tk-compatible font fallback mechanism. TkGS will always pick the best
   and closest font to the one requested.
 - Tk-compatible generic multi-font Unicode system on non Unicode-native
   systems. A Unicode string may be drawn using several fonts, depending on
   the glyphs they support.
 - A higher-level interface to basic features, ie a TkGS port of the current
   Tk font objects and commands.

The TkGS core is nearly done regarding fonts and texts. For now, only the
Win32 driver implements the new system. Xlib, Canvas and PostScript are
still missing, but:

 - The Xlib driver can be built by taking bits of the current Tk code.
   The Win32 method was built this way.
 - The Canvas driver is Unicode-native, so its implementation will be very
   fast.
 - The PostScript driver can be build in the beginning with only Latin-1
   support (ie the same level of support as Tk), but can evolve by using
   the TkGS core helper features to support full Unicode.

This is alpha software. There may be bugs and missing features. Feel free to
comment or contribute. TkGS needs more brains. What is needed:

 - Driver writers: PDF, SVG, SDL, ___MACINTOSH___ !!!!
 - Driver maintainers: Xlib, PostScript (esp. font support).
 - Specs writers: none of the above changes are documented. I'll take care
   of that but other parts need specs, ie offscreen drawables (ie pixmaps)
   and image support.
 - Tk porters. Some parts of Tk were ported to TkGS as a proof of concept
   (ie 3D borders and fonts). Other parts may need work as new features are
   added.
 - And much more...

I am very busy and couldn't contribute much until May or June. I'm in the
final phase of my PhD and preparing a 500 mile move. So don't be surprised
if I take some time to answer to your e-mails.

Have fun!
-- 
Frédéric BONNET                          fredericbonnet@[...].fr
---------------------------------------------------------------
"Theory may inform, but Practice convinces"
                                                    George Bain