This file answers the following questions about installing xdvi:

    1.	I have font files cmr10.tfm, etc.  Why can't xdvi use them?
    2.	I can't seem to set the font path correctly.  Can you help me?
    3.	xdvi claims to support virtual fonts, but I can't use PostScript
	virtual fonts (such as helv.vf or phvr.vf) with xdvi.  Why not?
    4.	Instead of displaying PostScript specials with -DPS_GS, I get the
	message `gs: gs: Malformed ghostview color property.'

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1.  I have font files cmr10.tfm, etc.  Why can't xdvi use them?

tfm files contain only minimal information about the characters
in a font:  just the height, width, depth, and kerning and ligature
information.  To obtain information about the shapes of the
characters, xdvi needs pk or gf files.  (pxl files also contain
this information, but are obsolete.  There are utilities to convert
them to pk files though.)

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2.  I can't seem to set the font path correctly.  Can you help me?

Try
	xdvi -d 32 file.dvi
to find out where xdvi is looking for the fonts.

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3.  xdvi claims to support virtual fonts, but I can't use PostScript
    virtual fonts (such as helv.vf or phvr.vf) with xdvi.  Why not?

The short answer is to quote the man page:

	Virtual fonts are also supported, although xdvi does not
	have any built-in fonts to which they can refer.

As further explanation, let me begin by pointing out:

	VIRTUAL FONTS ARE NOT FONTS.

Virtual fonts are recipes for building fonts from other fonts.
In the case of PostScript fonts, those other fonts reside on
your printer.  Which is fine for dvi-to-PostScript programs
such as dvips, but it presents a problem for xdvi since it cannot
access your printer.

There are some solutions, however.

The first solution is to install gsftopk, which uses
ghostscript to approximate the fonts.  It is made for sites that
use both xdvi and dvips, although if you just use xdvi it should
be useful, too.

Another solution is to get these fonts pre-made in common sizes.
These were made by a program called gsrenderfont (part of the Gnu
font utilities).

These are all available via anonymous ftp:

gsftopk from math.berkeley.edu:pub/TeX/gsftopk.tar.Z
pre-made fonts from ftp.cs.umb.edu:pub/tex/psfonts.tar
gsrenderfont from prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu/fontutils-0.6.tar.gz

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4.  Instead of displaying PostScript specials with -DPS_GS, I get the
    message `gs: gs: Malformed ghostview color property.'

xdvi needs the newest version of ghostscript.  This means that you must
get ghostscript 2.6.1 from prep.ai.mit.edu (or any of its mirror sites),
_and_ you must also apply patches 1-4 from that same location.
