GNOME is missing default font (cantarell)

## Steps to reproduce

The following steps assume you are using Guix System with GNOME

desktop.

1. Boot with a 5.18 kernel

2. Connect with GDM / X11 to the Gnome desktop

## Expected result

+ The gnome desktop interface uses the default Cantarell font (as in

5.17 kernel)

+ Cantarell font is available in applications (for example LibreOffice)

## Unexpected result

+ the Cantarell, font which is the default font of the gnome desktop,

is not used in the Gnome interface

+ gnome-tweaks, which allows to select the interface font, does not

list the Cantarell font

+ Cantarell font is not proposed by LibreOffice 7.5.3 either

see: https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/help-guix/2022-08/msg00110.html

## Workaround

Thank to https://luis-felipe.gitlab.io/:

1. guix install font-abattis-cantarell

2. fc-cache -rv

3. Reload GNOME Shell (press Alt+F2, type the letter r in the command

box, and press Enter)

see: https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/help-guix/2022-08/msg00115.html

## System information

GNOME 40.4

GNU Guix 8337787

Guix system 64 bit / X11

Kernel 5.18.12, 5.18.14, 5.18.16

Am Dienstag, dem 16.08.2022 um 12:04 +0200 schrieb Christophe Pisteur:

Is the first step really needed? Cantarell should already be part of

gnome-service-type.

In any case, troubles with fonts are to be expected under some

circumstances. See `info "(guix)Application Setup"', particularly

paragraph 2.6.3 X11 Fonts. Your issue also has probably little to do

with linux-libre but rather the fact that an update from pre-5.18 to

now brings in lots of package changes. IIRC the great Cantarell break

was a rather recent event, though I'm not sure what caused it.

Cheers

On Tuesday, August 16th, 2022 at 13:54, Liliana Marie Prikler <liliana.prikler@ist.tugraz.at> wrote:

I just rolled back my profile to a generation previous to installing (1), performed (2) and (3) again, and the desktop is still using cantarell, so I it seems (1) is not needed after all.

Hello,

Luis Felipe <luis.felipe.la@protonmail.com> writes:

[...]

As Liliana mentioned, there may occasionally some issues with stale font

cache, and the workaround is documented. I'm not sure if this is the

fault of GDM or fonconfig itself, although I've never had to run the

command myself (not a GDM user), so perhaps the former.

If you manage to come up with a clear reproducer or pinpoint the exact

cause, do open a new issue.

Closing for now,

Thanks for the report!

Maxim