Hmmm, I wonder if this could be combined with the different desktops in Spaces to give a different look to each virtual desktop? That would offer some advantages.
And from a designer/illustrator/photoshop user's point of view, the ability to dim or change the desktop to a non-obtrusive theme when working could be useful.
I think this is a great idea, and I would love to have an ocean scene where the water comes and goes, the sun does what its supposed to, and the wind blows. Maybe some people swimming or boating. The ideas I have!!
Only thing...how much power will this take, I hope my C2D macBook isnt too old to do this kind of stuff.
I think this is a great idea, and I would love to have an ocean scene where the water comes and goes, the sun does what its supposed to, and the wind blows. Maybe some people swimming or boating. The ideas I have!!
Only thing...how much power will this take, I hope my C2D macBook isnt too old to do this kind of stuff.
Yeah, but that's not very interactive is it? What if, as the sun crosses the sky, it makes your icons cast shadows over the desktop. Or when you "Move to Trash", a big wave comes in and drags the icons out to sea.
Although, I'm not sure how productive I'd be by watching all of this...
I imagine a nature scene with the sun traveling across the sky and creating shadows as it should be outside. While it may not directly influence my work, for those of us who spend the workday in cubes with no natural light, and walk outside to gray skies (in the Norhtwest), it might provide some mood elevation and maybe help internal clocks to stay in sync.
Most posters are completely missing the point. Let's say you have a 200dpi screen that's 21" diagonal, in a 4:3 configuration, running at 32-bit pixel depth. That's 33MB of VRAM used up for a background image and taken away from any games, other window buffers, Core Video, etc. If you instead define an abstract background pattern procedurally and run it on the GPU, you're using up some GPU processing power, but no VRAM. As monitors get more resolution, this advantage will increase.
This isn't about just putting some active content on the background, it's about how to implement the background image on the GPU.
Most posters are completely missing the point. Let's say you have a 200dpi screen that's 21" diagonal, in a 4:3 configuration, running at 32-bit pixel depth. That's 33MB of VRAM used up for a background image and taken away from any games, other window buffers, Core Video, etc. If you instead define an abstract background pattern procedurally and run it on the GPU, you're using up some GPU processing power, but no VRAM. As monitors get more resolution, this advantage will increase.
I don't quite buy this argument. Regardless of what is being displayed on the screen (a dynamically created image, or a static image), you still need to put it into a framebuffer so that it can be displayed on the screen. Whether you take a JPEG image, convert it to the required image format for the framebuffer, and load it there, or generate the image data on the fly and load it, you still need that framebuffer memory to be allocated in VRAM. So unless video card manufacturers come up with a new way to display screen contents, you can't really get around this.
The only difference I can see here is the actual loading of an image file into main memory or not. Which is larger than simply the size of the image file itself (ie. most images are compressed in some way), but still not all that massive given that most people have around 1GB of RAM these days.
One other benefit I can think of is reduced usage of the system bus. If the image data doesn't need to be loaded from main memory to the framebuffer a number of times per second, and instead is simply loaded there directly from the GPU on the video card, then that frees up a bit of bandwidth on the system bus. Although perhaps the desktop image is somehow cached on the video card itself or maintained in the framebuffer once it's loaded there (I'm not exactly sure of the technical details of video card framebuffer compositing).
I think the point most folks are missing is that this is old tech written up and finally filed. The OS X desktop is just an OpenGL display layer, and has been since 10.2. This just codifies that without explicitly mentioning OpenGL. Everything mentioned in the patent is trivially implementable using OpenGL calls.
I think this is more a case of building the portfolio for defense than creating something radically new. An unfortunate side effect of the whole software patent process.
An enhancement to the Mac OS X operating system under development by Apple looks to pave the way for active desktop pictures, or desktop backgrounds that can include motion graphics and alter themselves based on user actions or the time of the day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marvin
They could even have color sets to allow users to easily switch for seasons or even the time of day. You could have the theme light platinum at midday and then gradually fade to black at night.
This will be the kind of thing that blows people away. When you see Vista looking all shiny but static and a Mac with some leaves gently blowing in the wind and an animated interface, there will be no contest. Not that a nice GUI is what should define an operating system but it will to some consumers.
Waste of Apple's resources! How does this help me administer hundreds of Macs in a corporate environment? Let Apple focus on making the Active Directory plug-in and other business-related tools work flawlessly before they waste time on eye candy. And hey, how about that Leopard release date?
I think this is a great idea, and I would love to have an ocean scene where the water comes and goes, the sun does what its supposed to, and the wind blows. Maybe some people swimming or boating. The ideas I have!!
Only thing...how much power will this take, I hope my C2D macBook isnt too old to do this kind of stuff.
I've had a dream for years of a desktop that would change over time to reflect the outside temperature or weather patterns or the seasons. It would reduce the stir-crazy effect people get in offices when they are not near a window or able to see outside.
There a millions of variations on this theme that could now be possible.
I've had a dream for years of a desktop that would change over time to reflect the outside temperature or weather patterns or the seasons. It would reduce the stir-crazy effect people get in offices when they are not near a window or able to see outside.
There a millions of variations on this theme that could now be possible.
Active Desktop - hmm. Does this mean we could get the e-mail 'send mail video' that we have always dreamed of. You know the one. It's been in countless movies..
You write your message, click send and then a graphic neatly folds the message, puts into an envelope and then posts in it in a mail box and does the opposite when you receive mail.
I like the idea of the change time, seasons or temperatures.
As for business/networks I wonder how 'user serviceable' this feature will be.
Could you for instance use it to show a network diagram showing managed computers on your network, when they become active, who is logged on etc.
Other thoughts I had are...
Link to it iCal and have upcoming meetings shown with a count down.
Link it to iChat, Skype, GMail etc to show when people in your address book are logged on.
There are alot of possibilities but I guess it depends on whether you can write script or automator flows to make it more personal.
Finally, with my conspiracy theory hat on, maybe Apple are doing some canny market research.
File the patent, see what people think. If they like it commit to continuing development if they don't ditch it.
But the suggestion that this could be a precursor to a new interface for the operating system could suggest that OS XI is on the horizon.
Comments
And from a designer/illustrator/photoshop user's point of view, the ability to dim or change the desktop to a non-obtrusive theme when working could be useful.
Only thing...how much power will this take, I hope my C2D macBook isnt too old to do this kind of stuff.
I think this is a great idea, and I would love to have an ocean scene where the water comes and goes, the sun does what its supposed to, and the wind blows. Maybe some people swimming or boating. The ideas I have!!
Only thing...how much power will this take, I hope my C2D macBook isnt too old to do this kind of stuff.
Yeah, but that's not very interactive is it? What if, as the sun crosses the sky, it makes your icons cast shadows over the desktop. Or when you "Move to Trash", a big wave comes in and drags the icons out to sea.
Although, I'm not sure how productive I'd be by watching all of this...
Sounds good to me.
This isn't about just putting some active content on the background, it's about how to implement the background image on the GPU.
We had "the Calfornia system builder" yesterday too! http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...ite_vista.html
Next, maybe they'll call Apple an "earthling system builder".
Most posters are completely missing the point. Let's say you have a 200dpi screen that's 21" diagonal, in a 4:3 configuration, running at 32-bit pixel depth. That's 33MB of VRAM used up for a background image and taken away from any games, other window buffers, Core Video, etc. If you instead define an abstract background pattern procedurally and run it on the GPU, you're using up some GPU processing power, but no VRAM. As monitors get more resolution, this advantage will increase.
I don't quite buy this argument. Regardless of what is being displayed on the screen (a dynamically created image, or a static image), you still need to put it into a framebuffer so that it can be displayed on the screen. Whether you take a JPEG image, convert it to the required image format for the framebuffer, and load it there, or generate the image data on the fly and load it, you still need that framebuffer memory to be allocated in VRAM. So unless video card manufacturers come up with a new way to display screen contents, you can't really get around this.
The only difference I can see here is the actual loading of an image file into main memory or not. Which is larger than simply the size of the image file itself (ie. most images are compressed in some way), but still not all that massive given that most people have around 1GB of RAM these days.
One other benefit I can think of is reduced usage of the system bus. If the image data doesn't need to be loaded from main memory to the framebuffer a number of times per second, and instead is simply loaded there directly from the GPU on the video card, then that frees up a bit of bandwidth on the system bus. Although perhaps the desktop image is somehow cached on the video card itself or maintained in the framebuffer once it's loaded there (I'm not exactly sure of the technical details of video card framebuffer compositing).
I think this is more a case of building the portfolio for defense than creating something radically new. An unfortunate side effect of the whole software patent process.
An enhancement to the Mac OS X operating system under development by Apple looks to pave the way for active desktop pictures, or desktop backgrounds that can include motion graphics and alter themselves based on user actions or the time of the day.
They could even have color sets to allow users to easily switch for seasons or even the time of day. You could have the theme light platinum at midday and then gradually fade to black at night.
http://forums.appleinsider.com/showp...43&postcount=5
Wow, it's like Apple are reading my mind...
or my posts.
This will be the kind of thing that blows people away. When you see Vista looking all shiny but static and a Mac with some leaves gently blowing in the wind and an animated interface, there will be no contest. Not that a nice GUI is what should define an operating system but it will to some consumers.
Waste of Apple's resources! How does this help me administer hundreds of Macs in a corporate environment? Let Apple focus on making the Active Directory plug-in and other business-related tools work flawlessly before they waste time on eye candy. And hey, how about that Leopard release date?
Ditto! Ditto! Ditto! Ditto!
My thoughts EXACTLY
I think this is a great idea, and I would love to have an ocean scene where the water comes and goes, the sun does what its supposed to, and the wind blows. Maybe some people swimming or boating. The ideas I have!!
Only thing...how much power will this take, I hope my C2D macBook isnt too old to do this kind of stuff.
I've had a dream for years of a desktop that would change over time to reflect the outside temperature or weather patterns or the seasons. It would reduce the stir-crazy effect people get in offices when they are not near a window or able to see outside.
There a millions of variations on this theme that could now be possible.
Its bollocks like this I dont want to read when the OS has just been delayed 6 months.
exactly! ^
Its bollocks like this I dont want to read when the OS has just been delayed 6 months.
It's 4 months.
I've had a dream for years of a desktop that would change over time to reflect the outside temperature or weather patterns or the seasons. It would reduce the stir-crazy effect people get in offices when they are not near a window or able to see outside.
There a millions of variations on this theme that could now be possible.
mmh haven't you tried OSXPlanet ?
You write your message, click send and then a graphic neatly folds the message, puts into an envelope and then posts in it in a mail box and does the opposite when you receive mail.
I like the idea of the change time, seasons or temperatures.
As for business/networks I wonder how 'user serviceable' this feature will be.
Could you for instance use it to show a network diagram showing managed computers on your network, when they become active, who is logged on etc.
Other thoughts I had are...
Link to it iCal and have upcoming meetings shown with a count down.
Link it to iChat, Skype, GMail etc to show when people in your address book are logged on.
There are alot of possibilities but I guess it depends on whether you can write script or automator flows to make it more personal.
Finally, with my conspiracy theory hat on, maybe Apple are doing some canny market research.
File the patent, see what people think. If they like it commit to continuing development if they don't ditch it.
But the suggestion that this could be a precursor to a new interface for the operating system could suggest that OS XI is on the horizon.
In other news; where are all the Dell Printer drivers for OS X?
That would be Lexmark, they make some wonderful sh*te