Newbie question about resolution independence

[aquablue]

If apple ever implemented this, would it allow things like photoshop tool palletes, after effects/final cut text, menus and tool icons in various applications to become larger with one setting adjustment?

I.e, in Windows 7 right now, if you increase the DPI, do these things scale up or are things like application tool palletes, text and icons not affected?

Thanks
Aqua

 

[PurrBall]

Everything should scale up if implemented properly.

 

[robbieduncan]

It is actually implemented: just most apps don't deal with it well (including Apple's own). Everything scales, icons, pallets etc. If you have the Developer Tools installed you can play with it using Quartz Debug. Apple removed the ability to scale to less than 100% though...

 

[kasakka]

Win7 has a better implementation at the moment because those apps written on older frameworks that don't support scaling can be either scaled so that every non-vector element (icons etc) become bigger and blurrier or they just don't scale at all. OSX on the other hand does the blurry icons scaling for all applications.

The problem is that for true resolution independence, apps should have big enough icons so that they can be scaled without loss of detail. It's kinda like how some apps on the iPhone4 have blurry main screen icons.

It'll hopefully come in 10.7 so that Apple can finally start putting higher res displays in their laptops.

 

[aquablue]

So, each app has to be re-programmed to support the scaling then?

 

[MisterMe]

So, each app has to be re-programmed to support the scaling then?

The correct answer to your question depends on how "resolution independence" is implemented. A truly resolution-independent UI would be based on vector graphics. That, however, would be processor-intensive. What folks are talking about here is to scale large pixel-map raster graphics to simulate true resolution-independence.

Having said that, there are still choices to be made whether you use vector graphics, raster graphics, or some combination of the two. In effect, your OP asks which choices will Apple make. The only people who know can't say.