[Cuis] Better Themes

[Juan Vuletich]

Hi Phil,

Phil (list) wrote:
>>> Good work with getting Cuis up on and Android system, that's FREAKING AWESOME. I wish I had one to help, but all I've got is iCrap:(
>>>       
>> Now I'm starting to want an Android device myself...
>>     
>
> <pitch>While there's nothing wrong with iOS technically (I used to be an iOS user myself), I'd encourage anyone interested in Smalltalk to consider Android for their next device since it's a platform where we're all *welcome* and *encouraged* from a policy standpoint.</pitch>
>
> That said, even if you stick with iOS or something else, hopefully some/most of what I'm working on should still be useful on your mobile device.
>   

Hehehe. My current phone is http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_5200-1717.php 
. It can not run anything at all! I'd get something newer. Perhaps a 
Motorola Defy+.

>>> ...
>>>> Finally, have you guys started thinking about the implications of multiple display densities as it relates to the UI and themes? (i.e. l/m/h/xh(dpi) on Android or 'retina' on iOS and sounds like it's coming soon on Macs)
>>>>         
>>>>    
>>>>         
>>> I have a feeling that "we" (read: Juan) have (read: Juan has.) At least a bit.
>>>
>>> CC Juan, because I feel like some of your questions regarding size of display and such might be more readily by someone who understands graphics and signal processing better than I do.
>>>
>>>  
>>>       
>> I have thought a bit on this. Sometimes, besides size, another parameter of GUI complexity could be useful. This would simplify icons, reduce the number of widgets (leaving just the most important ones). The idea here would be (for example) that a GUI that runs in 800x480 can have many widgets drawn at low resolution (for example on a PC with a big display) or very few widgets at high resolution (for example on a phone)... I guess that would come after Morphic 3 vector graphics...
>>
>>     
>
> Not another pitch for Android so much as suggesting that you take a look at how they've somewhat addressed the issue re: having to support multiple screen sizes/resolutions with a common/consistent UI.  See http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens_support.html they also have a pretty good design site that discusses things like scaling a UI from a tablet to a phone @ http://developer.android.com/design/index.html
>   

Thanks for the links. This is a summary of what I understood:

Android:
- Not zoomeable
- GUI is not specified in pixels but in physical units, not unlike 
inches or milimeters. This is already better than what most platforms do.
- Variation in display density (dpi) between devices is handled via 
bitmaps sets with multiple resolutions and / or automatic scaling.
- Variation in physical display size between devices (from 3" to 10", 
usually from 4" to 7") is handled like usual window resize on a PC (i.e. 
widget physical size does not change, but the amout of stuff that can be 
shown varies).

Morphic 3:
- Zoomeable
- GUI is specified in whatever units the developer chooses. For example, 
inches or milimeters.
- Variation in display density between devices is handled automatically 
by the vector graphics engine. Rendering of vector graphics is always 
high quality.
- Variation in physical display size between devices can be handled like 
window resize on a PC. But in addition:
- The user can zoom de UI, enabling, for example:
    - Make room for more widgets or more content (widgets with smaller 
phisical size, whole GUI physical size doesn't change)
    - Enlarge widgets for easier view (whole GUI physical size doesn't 
change, less widgets or content is visible). This would be like 
emulating a smaller Android inside a bigger one (but without pixelated 
artifacts, always high quality rendering of vector graphics).
    - Enlarge widgets for easier view (whole GUI physical size grows, 
scrollbars are added if needed; amount of widgets or content visible 
doesn't change). This wouldn't be too unlike the display zoom option on 
Mac OS-X, but with high qualit rendering, like, for example, zooming a 
properly built PDF file.

> An example of what I was really trying to get at was how would a future Cuis deal with say a Retina display Mac where potentially either the UI is 1/4 its current size or everything is pixel scaled up and looks blurry/ugly?
>
>   
Morphic 3 deals with that automatically, it always does the best 
possible rendering quality on any display size or density.
> Thank you guys for helping me to think a little crazy,
> Phil
>   

:) Cheers,
Juan Vuletich