[Nautilus-list] multi-scalar windows - was Re: [Xpert]Re: Feature request: mouse gestures in Nautilus

[Dr Andrew C Aitchison <A C Aitchison dpmms cam ac uk>]

> On Thu, May 10, 2001 at 02:43:39PM -0700, Jim Gettys wrote:
> > What do you mean by "multi-scalar windows"?
 
On Thu, 10 May 2001, Mike Bennett wrote:

> So resizing reduces or increases the size of the information space
> viewable while scaling reduces or increases the size of the information
> CONTAINED in the information space with no loss of information (except
> for text and image degradation due to scaling algorithms).

OpenGL would be a good API to use if you want to write an app like that;
(XFree86 supports OpenGL thgrough the GLX extension).

I'm reasonably sure that doing it behind the application's back
would break the rules of the X protocol, unless you keep a backing store,
and blit with scaling the whole time. As I understand it, the X protocol
is detailed enough to allow the app to know the color of each
pixel without explicitly specifying each one.
For instance, draw a diagonal line, scale the window and redraw the line
in background color - whose responsibility is it to ensure that and the
pixels get reset.

To *over* simplify, X is a bitmap protocol; OpenGL is (or can be) a
vector protocol, which models your idea better. 

-- 
Dr. Andrew C. Aitchison		Computer Officer, DPMMS, Cambridge
A C Aitchison dpmms cam ac uk	http://www.dpmms.cam.ac.uk/~werdna