RE: [css3-mediaqueries] Handling non-square pixels

Both statements sound reasonable. However I wonder if there is any existing browser that works on a device with non-square pixels and actually treats "px" unit differently on different axes?

Considering the amount of web content that generally assumes pixels to be square, I would expect any browser working on an anisotropic device to use "virtual pixels" that are still square.

There is certainly a value in being able to refer to physical pixels (such as draw the thinnest possible vertical line). But if that really is desired it probably needs a new unit...

-----Original Message-----
From: www-style-request@w3.org [mailto:www-style-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Bert Bos
Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 10:29 AM
To: www-style@w3.org
Subject: Re: [css3-mediaqueries] Handling non-square pixels


On Tuesday 21 August 2007 20:07, fantasai wrote:
> Proposed changes:
>
>    http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-mediaqueries/#device-aspect-ratio
>
>    # In this specification, aspect ratio is defined as the number of
>    # horizontal pixels over the number of vertical pixels.
>
>    change to
>
>    | In this specification, aspect ratio is defined as the horizontal
>    | length of the device's display divided by its vertical length.

I agree.

>
>    http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-mediaqueries/#resolution
>
>    # The 'resolution' media feature describes the resolution of the
>    # output device, i.e. the density of the pixels.
>
>    Add
>
>    | When querying devices with non-square pixels, in
>    | 'min-resolution' queries the least-dense dimension must be
>    | compared to the specified value and in 'max-resolution' queries
>    | the most-dense dimensions must be compared instead. A fixed
>    | 'resolution' query never matches a device with non-square
>    | pixels.
>
>    (Alternatively we could allow two values to query each dimension
>    independently, but I don't think this is useful.)

I don't really have any intuition for what I want to happen if I design
for a specific minimum resolution. This definition seems reasonable and
it removes the ambiguity.



Bert
--
  Bert Bos                                ( W 3 C ) http://www.w3.org/
  http://www.w3.org/people/bos                               W3C/ERCIM
  bert@w3.org                             2004 Rt des Lucioles / BP 93
  +33 (0)4 92 38 76 92            06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France

Received on Tuesday, 28 August 2007 19:41:33 UTC