What fonts are absolutely required? [closed]

  1. Is it possible, to wipe all fonts other than TrueType fonts? If so, how?
  2. What fonts are absolutely needed/necessary in a working X environment?

Solution 1:

xfonts-base should be enough to start the X server..

If you intend to run a Desktop Environment you have to install some extra fonts.

Solution 2:

You should have at least one sans-serif, one serif and one monospace font (mainly for web browsing). You should be safe with only ttf-freefont and ttf-liberation. Note, all truetype font packages start with 'ttf-'. OpenType font packages begin with 'otf-'. To remove all OpenType fonts, remove all packages starting with 'otf-'.

Solution 3:

Many of the ttf-* packages are only for international script support and clutter the font listings on programs.

There is a fair amount of duplication. DejaVu, for instance, has Arabic characters in it, but there are separate arabic fonts installed. If you delete those you won’t see empty rectangles on websites containing arabic because DejaVu has those basically covered.

Just one example.