why are pdfs and FLASH so damn slow, if we've got altivec?

yomofoyomofo
Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
I'm a bit confused about AltiVec. If it's supposed to be an advanced vector processing unit, and it's been around for several years, why doesn't it process vectors any faster? I would think OS X would be the fastest platform for Flash animations, and for PDF display, scrolling, etc. However, it still seems to lag way behind slower windows versions. You could say that macromedia and Adobe haven't optimized their code for altivec, but Preview.app is dog slow. Moreover, Quartz is based on the public pdf spec, and apple wrote Preview.app, so why isn't it faster? Sorry if this has a stupid answer...



mofo

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    airslufairsluf Posts: 1,861member
  • Reply 2 of 5
    spartspart Posts: 2,060member
    Yea, use a Windows machine with Super Fast Insane Scrolling? and you will want OS X back...



    The scrolling is nearly useless if you are actually looking for something in a block of text or whatnot.
  • Reply 3 of 5
    airslufairsluf Posts: 1,861member
  • Reply 4 of 5
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    I know! I hate that! "I just need to get that one more line... damn!" Back up. "OK, slower this time... damn!"



    It's one of those instances where a faster machine actually slows you down. And it's one of the reasons why "F***ing Microsoft" is a daily refrain at work.
  • Reply 5 of 5
    yomofoyomofo Posts: 35member
    [quote]Originally posted by AirSluf:

    <strong>

    Unless the data is arranged so there are multiple items of data that can be processed with the same instruction, it won't be helped by altivec. That's why an PS filter can be accelerated-the whole image or selection is undergoing the same transform, while a Flash animation with elements going every which way is much less so.



    Scrolling has other issues including memory bandwith issues and an Apple twist that actually makes sense--the scroll speed is throttled to a rate that you can actually make sense of what you are reading or watching. To check that the apps aren't really "slow" compare scrolling with the scroll arrows, and sliding the scrollbar image handles. You can usually manually scroll with the handles much faster than the scrolling takes place with the scroll arrows. The assumption here is with the handle you are scrolling to a location, not scanning the document, so throttling the speed is not an issue.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Thanks AirSluf. That makes a lot of sense. I usually scroll with the arrow keys on the keyboard when reading web pages, and I usually have to wait half a second between pressing each key to get an adequate response. I know it's a phenomenally more complex drawing, with all the text anti-aliased with changeable transparency... I just wish it were as fast as OS 9 for scrolling. OS X is worth it for such a minor complaint, though, obviously.



    mofo
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