Re: [CSS21] 4.3.2 Lengths (reference pixel?)

On 2010/12/15 23:46 (GMT-0800) Peter Linss composed:

> Ok. I think I get what the fundamental disconnect is here. We're NOT
> changing what an INCH is (or a cm), we're changing what a CSS PIXEL
> UNIT is. The change is that the ratio between CSS px units and in
> units is now fixed, not the ratio between device pixels and in units.

That's hardly the total result. It has now become impossible for systems with 
accurately configured display DPI to render absolute units at correct 
lengths, except for pages designed to use a proprietary absolute unit that 
works with only one rendering engine.

You've hijacked the meaning of cm, in, mm, pc, pt, etc., breaking pages 
dependent on those meanings to do what they were intended to do, and 
bastardized those well established standard units in the process.

Previously, it was possible to have an HTML document's 12pt text render at 
4.2333mm intentionally without having to print on paper to do it. One 
shouldn't have to print 12pt text on paper in order to render 12pt text at 
1/6" except by chance, but that is the new standard's result.

As long as screen media resolution isn't high enough for a CSS px to be 
several multiples of a device px, I don't see any justification for there to 
be any difference between a device px and a CSS px, nor any justification in 
the most common use cases to size objects in the unknown and unknowable tiny 
sizes that px represent. Until it takes 3-4 or more device px to make a CSS 
px, or rendering engines acquire the ability to render fractional CSS px 
without performance penalty, either a CSS px should be the same size as a 
device px, or there should be no CSS px unit at all.

CSS should not be morphed into a page layout language. It should remain the 
language of suggestion that it was intended to be, with all possible effort 
directed to minimizing its constraining impacts on flexibility, legibility, 
usability and accessibility.
-- 
"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant
words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)

  Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409

Felix Miata  ***  http://fm.no-ip.com/

Received on Wednesday, 15 December 2010 09:26:56 UTC