Re: using emacs with nx

[Harry Putnam]

Peter Dyballa <Peter_Dyballa@Web.DE> writes:

> Am 30.07.2013 um 04:28 schrieb Harry Putnam:
>
>> Another way that comes to mind is to run the command:
>> 
>> M-x set-default-font <ENTER>
>
> This is a bit out of sorts. The *Completions* buffer only lists a few
> thousand fonts served by the X server (i.e., XLFD format). Not one
> from libfontconfig is among them. IOW, the list contains mostly
> bitmapped fonts. This was OK and helpful last millennium. (OK, I also
> used it early this one, because there were no other means available.)

OK, the S-mouse1 seems better in some ways. 

> The GNU Emacs versions for non-X11 windowing systems seem to do a
> better job. At least my two Mac OS X variants (NS and AppKit) list the
> system's fonts – but in XLFD notation. Both have a simpler interface
> via S-mouse-1 which opens the system's standard dialog to choose a
> font. (Which does not have n XLFD name.)

XLFD? 

Just curious:
Why is better for fonts not to be in XLFD notation?