On Sun, 16 Apr 2017 11:07:15 -0400
Felix Miata
Robert Kaiser composed on 2017-04-16 14:22 (UTC+0200):
Carlos E. R. composed:
Felix Miata wrote:
Robert Kaiser composed on 2017-04-15 01:18 (UTC+0200):
Felix Miata composed:
One particular functionality I have in mind is to display an object in the browser window with predictably accurate stated physical dimensions. IOW, one inch always measures one inch; one cm always measures one cm; 12pt always measures 12/72", etc.
Note that is not how they are defined in CSS officially. Actually, 1cm = 96px/2.54according to official web standards,
Whether what any CSS "web standard" says, official or otherwise, depends on context. The issue here is virtually the same usurpation that occurred with well established decimal multiples being hijacked by the binary computing world, trying to redefine units with previously uncontroverted meanings. (kilo, mega, giga, etc.) At least those eventually got a reasonable fix.[1]
A centimeter isn't a centimeter unless it measures an ISO standard centimeter. When I open a web page that says something measures a centimeter, if my ruler doesn't measure it a centimeter, it isn't a centimeter, regardless what is contained in CSS standards.
That's what I would expect, yes. One centimetre measured with a plastic rule right on the screen. Not an apparent size.
For one thing, I was just referring to a standard that web browser manufacturers under the roof of the W3C decided on after a long discussions, and they surely had good reasons.
Reasons, yes. Legitimate, in result, not, due to the usurpation of long established meanings of measurement units, as was done with GB, MB, KB, etc.
All that said, if you expect 1cm in CSS to be an actual centimeter on whatever surface it's shown on, I hope you never project a website onto a wall (where the browser probably doesn't even know the actual size of the projection) or display it on a giant screen for presentation etc. as anything using your definition of CSS units would probably become invisibly small for the normal viewer.
Again, context matters. Using a wall projector to display something at its actual size one would probably more likely be interested in measuring a displayed object appropriately measured in meters rather than centimeters. Taking a ruler to the display device matters no less using a wall than a PC screen or a handheld device screen. Measuring an object's actual size means at the actual object or the device on which the object is depicted, wherever that be, including on a wall via projection. The CSS spec would have the task of displaying anything at actual size be impossible absent specific hardware, i.e. a display device with physical pixel density of 96 DPI. Luckily for Gecko users there is a workaround, but not because of any standards body specification.
If CSS were implemented as you would like it in browsers and 1cm was actually 1cm on computer screen, 1cm on phone screen and 1cm on wall as projected by a beamer there would be no sane unit for web designers to use to make the web elements visible on all devices. They would have to design a different CSS for every screen size the users might use. One possibility to solve that would be implementing a new unit like 'veiw angle' and deprecating all the old units - pixels, centimeters, points. Given the adoption of such changes web designers W3C rather chose the redefinition of existing units which makes existing sites work seamlessly on any device when implemented according to specification and does not require designers to change to new units. I can see your proposal as vastly inferior solution to creating usable web designs. Thanks Michal -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse-factory+owner@opensuse.org