The Linux XFree86 server doesn't have a built-in TrueType scaler.
Instead TrueType fonts must be scaled via the FreeType scaler in the
X font server process. This means that any TrueType fonts that the JRE needs
to be used via X11 font APIs. must have been pre-configured by the host
environment to be on the list of directories used by xfs (the font server).
The alternative to this - for such additional fonts - is for the JRE to
kick off an additional font server process and add its address to the font
path.

So this is a potential problem for AWT/Motif heavyweights whenever the
fonts specified in font.properties aren't already on the X font server's
path. This might occur in any locale where for some reason the host
environment hasn't already included what JDK needs.

However this in fact occurs quite universally for the "Lucida" fonts
that are referenced in Linux font properties files. The intent was that
these be the JRE supplied Lucidas, and indeed that is what Swing and 2D
uses. However AWT is picking up "Lucida" fonts that shipped with Linux.
This needs to be addressed.

This means that what is displayed by AWT doesn't exactly match Swing.
But there is apparently an upcoming change which makes this more pressing.
For trademark reasons, the fonts currently found by AWT are being renamed
to "Luxi" (spelling?) in the XFree86 distributions presently in beta.
This will be shipped on RH8.0 and other Linux O/Ses.

This has the apparent consequence that AWT will completely fail to find
Lucida fonts and will substitute something else that's not going to be
the right font face.