FreeType is a font file renderer used in various popular operating systems like Linux, Android, iOS, and ChromeOS (except for Windows). Despite its long history since 1996, recent findings by developer Werner Lemberg revealed a long-standing bug in FreeType related to OpenType font commands. This bug, which repeatedly calls the hb_ot_shape_glyphs_closure function up to 66,954 times, has affected widely used fonts like Arial TTF, causing unnecessary loading delays for users worldwide. After fixing this bug, FreeType now operates up to ten times faster than before.
Source: Phoronix
TLDR: FreeType, a font renderer for popular OS, had a long-standing bug affecting font loading speed, which has now been resolved, resulting in significant performance improvements.
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