Leo Famulari <leo@famulari.name> writes:

> I'm having trouble with Guix packages using fonts from my Debian 10
> system after a core-updates merge.
>
> Using Inkscape from core-updates, the text I put in my SVG files fails
> to display. When I look at the Inkscape 'Text and Font' tool, it shows
> my chosen font with a red line through it, as though it can't find it.

> It's similar with Hexchat; it no longer sees most of the fonts installed
> by Debian.

Just to be clear, these programs are able to find fonts you have
installed through Guix, right?

> The specific fonts in question are the URW fonts, aka the "PostScript
> fonts", provided by Debian's gsfonts and gsfonts-x11 packages.

Are those the only affected fonts?

> $ fc-cache -rv

[...]

> /home/leo/.local/share/fonts: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 0 dirs
> /home/leo/.local/share/fonts: failed to write cache

[...]

> /home/leo/.fonts: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 0 dirs
> /home/leo/.fonts: failed to write cache

[...]

> fc-cache: failed

FWIW the new fc-cache fails for me on Guix System too if I create these
empty directories.

Can you inspect 'fc-list ' with the new and old fontconfig?  Are there
differences?