# Help me install FontForge under Windows XP

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-install-fontforge-under-windows-xp/584319>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 4, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-install-fontforge-under-windows-xp/584319 "2011-06-04T18:15:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-install-fontforge-under-windows-xp/584319/1 "2011-06-04T18:15:56Z")

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I’m trying to install FontForge, a free font creation application. It normally runs under Linux, but you can apparently install it using CYGWIN; an environment running under Windows (XP in my case).

I’m following this tutorial:

[http://www.crystalxp.net/forum/en/Windows-Customization-Support/Tutorials/sujet\_37176\_1.htm](http://www.crystalxp.net/forum/en/Windows-Customization-Support/Tutorials/sujet_37176_1.htm)

Now I’ve installed CYGWIN and have a directory structure:

C:\cygwin\home\darryl

I created the darryl subdirectory myself, even though the tutorial somehow claims that a user directory should be created automatically.

> [@](#):
>
> You are automatically directed to the site [Sourceforge.net](http://Sourceforge.net) Download fontforge\_cygwin-20080607.tar.bz2 file and save it in C:\cygwin\home&lt;username\> (where \<username\> is whatever name cygwin gave you)

In any case, I’ve copied **fontforge\_cygwin-20080607.tar.bz2** to **C:\cygwin\home\darryl**

I tried doing a complete CYGWIN installation, but after running all night long and getting 99% complete, there was some kind of error.

So, I’m trying to just do the installation suggested by the tutorial:

> [@](#):
>
> Well, for running correctly FontForge on Windows, you must install certain components :
> 
> - the standard components
> - the X windows system, binutils, lbng et libxm12
> 
> Generally, most of what you need you get by default. But you must explicitly request X11 and the
> 
> libraries:
> 
> - X-startup-scripts
> - XFree86-lib-compat
> - xorg-x11-base
> - xorg-x11-bin
> - xorg-x11-dlls
> - xorg-x11-lndir
> - xorg-x11-etc
> - xorg-x11-f100
> - xorg-x11-libs-data

What is meant by:

- the standard components
- the X windows system, binutils, lbng et libxm12

When I run Cygwin Setup I get a window which looks like:

[![](https://i.imgur.com/fb3FR.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/fb3FR.jpg)

Using the Search box, I can only find binutils, and none of that other crap ( xorg-x11-base for example ).

Is this tutorial out of date, am I missing something, or am I just an idiot?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-install-fontforge-under-windows-xp/584319/2 "2011-06-04T20:41:24Z")

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OK, I’ve found another site with a much better implementation. Apparently that first site is out of date. This is the better one:

[http://www.useragentman.com/blog/2011/02/27/installing-cygwin-and-fontforge-for-windows/](http://www.useragentman.com/blog/2011/02/27/installing-cygwin-and-fontforge-for-windows/)

Nevertheless, it still hangs somewhere in the middle of the installation, apparently on the same file in the same spot. I’ll try a different couple of mirrors and see what happens.

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**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-install-fontforge-under-windows-xp/584319/3 "2011-06-05T00:59:02Z")

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I’d consider trying [andLinux](http://www.andlinux.org/) instead of Cygwin. From there you can use Synaptic to install fontforge from the Ubuntu repository.

I have never successfully gotten a graphical program to work with cygwin.

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**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-install-fontforge-under-windows-xp/584319/4 "2011-06-05T22:56:43Z")

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> [@BigT](#):
>
> I’d consider trying [andLinux](http://www.andlinux.org/) instead of Cygwin. From there you can use Synaptic to install fontforge from the Ubuntu repository.
> 
> I have never successfully gotten a graphical program to work with cygwin.

Thanks, maybe I’ll give that a go. I keep bogging down while trying to download Font Forge. I’m pretty much an idiot when it comes to Linux, so maybe I’ll learn something.