Longhorns vector-based Icons


Screenshot, Source: Windows Supersite

Extract:

In Longhorn, a new presentation layer code-named Avalon is responsible for the entire user experience, including the display of graphics. Unlike GDI, Avalon is vector-based. Vector-based graphics are essentially mathematical descriptions, and they can be scaled in ways that are impossible with bitmapped-based raster graphics. To understand the difference, consider a typical icon in Windows XP: When created correctly, there will be handmade 16-, 32-, and 64-pixel versions of the icon available so that when the user switches between the various (limited) icon display modes (list view, details, icons, tiles, and thumbnails/large icons) it looks decent, but when you try to scale above the sizes specified by the system, things get ugly quickly.
With vector graphics, this isn’t an issue. Today, Mac OS X is the only mainstream operating system that offers a somewhat vector-based user interface, and the quality of this system’s icons benefit as a result. As shown below, a well-designed Mac OS X icon can be scaled extensively and retain its high-quality look. Like their Windows counterparts, Mac OS X icons are technically bitmaps, but they’re created at a resolution of 128 x 128 pixels, and resized dynamically with vector transformations. That means they will look fantastic at the various sizes one might use on today’s displays. Longhorn will utilize a similar graphics technology, albeit a more powerful one, to display icons and other system graphics as vectors, not bitmaps. That means that Longhorn icons will look fantastic at virtually any size, on today’s displays and on tomorrow’s high-DPI displays.
Related Links:
Paul Thurrotts Windows Supersite

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