3d animation

Firefox is a fast-moving application, and now you can take a quick gander at the first Alpha version of Firefox 3.0, the next iteration of the open-source browser for Windows Mac and Linux nicknamed Gran Paradiso. On the surface, it doesn´t look that different from the current version of Firefox (which we find to be unacceptably fluid by the way).

Its innovations are under the hood, where it enhances compatibility with three tricked-out graphics stocks that might soon be omnipresent on the Web: Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), the Canvas specification, and the cairo graphics library. Sounds great, but what does all this stuff do? They all have to do with making Web pages look the same on any platform, and scaling up graphics without loss of quality.

Explanations, plus the transfer link, after the jump.

Scalable vector graphics have been around since 2001, and the idea here is to have a stock graphics format on the Web (the way jpeg and gif have become) that uses vectors, that is, descriptions of where lines will go rather than item-by-item dots of each graphic that comprise bitmap images such as jpeg and gif. These graphics can be scaled up or down without any loss of resolution.

What about Canvas? It´s another next-gen Web technology that´s similar to Scalable Vector Graphics but adds the element of animation, where JavaScript code can access a defined area and dynamically draw on graphics such as graphs and animations.

The cairo graphics library is another vector-based graphics enabler that can use hardware acceleration that´s already in Firefox and has been since version 1.5. Cairo can work with the Quartz graphics engine in Mac OS X, as well as OpenGL.

There´s nothing quite like the speed of open-source development, but we wish version 2.0 of Firefox would be perfected before any grand adventures began on the next point release. But that´s just us. – Charlie White

Download Firefox 3.0 Alpha Here [Mozilla, via lifehacker]

Just got back from a weekend inflict to the Microsoft campus up in Redmond, Washington where I got the gamble to hear about Windows Vista and other new MS creations, like the Xbox 360 and Zune music player.

There were ´softies from all different parts of the tremendous company presenting at different times and quite a few questions to be asked, so I´m going to rephrase from my notes all the tidbits I collected and throw in a few screenshots taken along the way. After the jump, a little Microsoft Q&A love.

Why should I upgrade to Vista?

By far the most resounding question Lifehacker readers had, the first answers I got were basically security, stability and new features - the same reasons you´d upgrade any piece of software. Vista takes advantage of next generation graphics, memory and disk technologies that make it faster, more secure and performant than any previous version of Windows. For gamers, Direct X 10 (Vista only) provides incredible graphics. For system administrators, Vista offers more control and "tweakability," if you will, for managing the system. Speaking of, here´s a screengrab of Vista´s new "Reliability Monitor" for sysadmins. (Click to enlarge.)

In short, MS simply wasn´t able to give me the Single Killer Reason you should move to Vista. That doesn´t mean you shouldn´t, however - in my opinion, the move is worth the whole package of improvements and new features. Vista builds in things I´ve come to expect to work at the operating system level - like search, photo management and calendaring. Sure, these are all things I can get with Google Desktop, Picasa and Google Calendar, but I´m happy to have that stuff without those extra, third-party apps taking up CPU and memory. Plus, I´m a sucker for a good-looking operating system, and Vista does look and feel a lot nicer than XP.

How long will Microsoft support Windows XP?

You diehard XP lovers have a few more years. Microsoft supports operating system versions for 10 years. Since XP launched in 2001, MS will officially support it until 2011.

Does Windows Aero work across multiple monitors?

Windows Aero is a new technology that shows off Vista´s multimedia capabilities with graphic effects and animated window manipulations that make the user interface pretty sleek. My lowly old graphics card couldn´t handle Aero when I installed Vista RC 1, but sitting at the meaty PC´s they let us play with up at Microsoft, I got to appreciate firsthand the translucent "glass" and slick animations Aero offers.

Aero is not enabled for Vista Home Basic (presumably so that Dell can sell computers for a few hundred bucks with low-end video cards and less RAM), and Aero will not turn on for machines without hardware that can support it. Courtesy of Microsoft, here´s a little comparison of glass versus non-glass windows in Vista:

While we didn´t have multiple monitors set up, I did verbally confirm that Aero indeed works across multiple screens. Aero eye-candy includes an enhanced version of Alt-Tab which switches between windows like a deck of cards with a neat animation using the Windows-Tab key combo. Here´s a screenie of that in action, though it really does call for a high-res video so you can see the smooth movement:

Windows-Tab also works well in Vista with multiple monitors.

Why did Microsoft make SO many confusing editions of Windows available, ie Home, Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, etc?

MS wanted to give the customer a choice, and they told me that while it may seem confusing looking at the whole list, the typical home customer will only choose between Home Basic and Premium.

An MVP (a "Most Valued Professional" recognized by Microsoft but who is NOT a company employee) confided in me that if OEM´s (computer manufacturers) sold cheap machines with low-grade hardware running Home Basic, less tech-savvy consumers might not understand why they don´t have the features (like Aero) shown on Home Premium display PC´s. The fact that Vista adjusts its functionality based on the hardware its running on is fantastic, but does give PC manufacturers and opportunity to screw over the less technically-minded. It´ll be interesting to see how the blue shirts at Best Buy will handle this.

Which edition of Vista should the power user who doesn´t run a home business purchase?

Vista Home Premium will include Media Center and Aero and seems to be the logical choice for home power users and media enthusiasts. Check out the Vista edition feature chart before you buy to see which edition is best for you.

Is Vista truly an innovation, or is it just playing catch-up with Mac OS X (and Zune with the iPod)?

Throughout the weekend, Microsoft representatives kept using the word "innovative" to describe Vista and other new MS products - but I just don´t see it. (Sorry, Microsoft!) To me, Microsoft´s role in the consumer tech industry in recent years has been less about innovation, and more about rolling out advanced tech to the masses who are using Windows. Because of Vista, my sister will get the term "RSS feed" onto her radar and start doing things like create saved search folders and opening web pages in tabs. That´s a great thing, but it just isn´t innovation in my book.

While Vista will be a welcome upgrade for this Windows user, there´s nothing in the OS that truly differentiates itself from, say, Mac OS X. MS reps didn´t respond when I pointed this out; they don´t address their competitors by name, which is odd, because every three seconds I wanted to say things like, "Oh yeah Google Maps does that!" or "Kinda like Mac, right?"

An MVP (who, like I said, is not an employee and therefore can say a bit more) pulled me aside and told me that while Vista can seem like catch-up to "other" operating systems - or even not much to get excited about right now - it lays a rich technical groundwork for the future in software development on the Windows platform, which, like it or not, does dominate the market. So, ok. I´ll take that.

Will Windows Live apps like Live Maps work with non-IE7 browsers like Firefox and Safari?

While not all of Microsoft´s online, web-based services (dubbed "Windows Live") play nice in non-IE7 browsers (like previously-mentioned Windows Live Maps 3D view), MS reps repeatedly said that they are committed to supporting non-IE browsers like Firefox and Safari. Since they all had nice smiles and gave me chocolate for dessert, I believe them.

Has open source software and its distribution influenced any part of Vista?

While this question wasn´t answered directly (or asked directly, to tell you the truth), Microsoft did release Vista´s preview build to users and testers for feedback and error reporting, which had a little taste of community approach to the platform development. The Windows Vista Blog, while clearly a somewhat white-washed corporate blog, is showing signs of community feedback and product response in it as well, which is a big step forward. (Here´s an example of Vista´s License Terms revision based on user feedback.)

I also got an earful about Windows Presentation Foundation, a development toolkit based on .NET 3.0 (which ships with Vista) that lets developers create rich Windows desktop applications. Vista hasn´t even been released yet for consumers and already we´re seeing WPF apps - in fact, the recently-posted New York Times Reader is one of them.

Note that while right now, WPF apps only run on Windows Vista (or XP with .NET 3.0), WPF Everywhere, which has not been released, will run on non-Windows operating systems. (Here´s a note a Lifehacker reader got back from the NY Times when she complained about the fact that NYT Reader didn´t run on her Mac.)

Besides better multimedia capabilities, what does Vista offer the avid gamer?

One of the nice Vista features for gamers is integrated game ratings, with the ability to restrict what games little Timmy can play based on game content and rating. Here´s a screenie of the game listing in Vista with rating info. Click to enlarge:

Here are the parental controls for games. Notice the ability to restrict by rating, or choose what content to block individually. (Click to enlarge.)

And! The Minesweeper mines blow up in a much more realistic way on Vista.

Should you upgrade to Vista right away?

Vista gets released on January 30th, 2007. Should you Windows enthusiasts run right out and get your upgrade? Well, during the course of my stay at MS, sitting at a brand new Alienware PC running a fresh install of Vista Ultimate, I managed to crash IE7. I kid you not. When I mentioned it to the MS folks, a developer mumbled something about the Flash plugin´s "buffer overrun." Not being an OS developer (and hell, I do give those folks credit) I don´t know much about how over or under one can run an operating system´s buffers, but I do know this: while Vista is a worthwhile (and let´s face it, inevitable) upgrade, you might give third party driver, plugin and software developers some time to catch up to Vista before you upgrade for a smooth, seamless experience.

Phew! There were a lot more questions in the original Vista thread - my apologies if I didn´t get to yours. Do you have any more thoughts or questions about Vista? Let us know in the comments of this post, where I´ll commission my new MS friends to take a look and maybe chime in if I screwed anything of this up. — Gina Trapani

As if this post wasn´t long enough, an update and full disclosure: Microsoft foot the bill for my travel, hotel and meals during this trip, and they also showered me with gifts, including a $50 gift certificate to the company store, a USB drive, a bottle of wine and few other snacks, and a Zune music player, which may or may not be the subject of many future posts, depending on how cool I decide it is.

The folks at BitFlicks have put together some other one of their avid Lego videos. This time it´s Metroid, and if you were wondering, no this isn´t a real "stop action" animation. The men behind the BitFlick´s curtain published this explanation on their site:

What you can see is a very basic quasi-stop motion animation. Quasi because there was actually only one LEGO block involved, which was photographed in multiple positions and then composited in a photo editing programme as a multi-layer image. Producing the animation was then a simple count of masking the LEGO blocks and then hiding or displaying certain layers. The end result was a simple stop motion animation that didn´t have from the common random variations in lighting and position.

Whatever the method, these animations are awesome. If you haven´t seen any of the others, be sure to check out their versions of Super Mario Brothers 3 and Donkey Kong as well.

Metroid Lego Animation [BitFlicks]

(InfoWorld) - Flash memory and hard-disk drives could face a challenge from a new chip technology, dubbed phase-change memory, being highly-developed by a aggroup of companies led by IBM.

The companies on Monday proclaimed the results of their a la mode search into the technology, which they say will do a better job of storing songs, pictures, and early data on iPods and digital cameras than current flash memory, and could someday replace disk drives.

Among the advances, the companies have built a prototype device that runs 500 times faster than today´s flash memory while using half as much power to write data to a memory cell, they said.

The circuits on the device are much smaller than those on today´s flash chips, measuring just 3 by 20 nanometers, and show that, unlike flash, phase-change memory will be suitable for production on the advanced manufacturing techniques targeted for use in 2015, the companies said. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter.

The progress came partly from the development of a new material to build the memory chips, a germanium alloy to which the searchers added early elements to enhance its properties. The companies have applied for a patent for the material, they said.

Besides IBM, the developers include Qimonda, the DRAM spin-off from Infineon Technologies, and Taiwan´s Macronix International Co. They plan to discuss their findings at the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineer´s 2006 International Electron Devices Meeting in San Francisco later this week.

It´s the kind of breakthrough that people look forward to in the IT industry, although end users will have to be patient before it finds its way into products. It could take several more years for the technology to be highly-developed sufficiently for use in finished products.

Still, phase-change memory appears promising. The chips would be a new type of non-volatile memory, which is memory that can hold its electrical charge -- and its data -- after devices are turned off. Flash is also non-volatile, but phase-change memory can hold its electrical charge better than flash and use it more efficiently, its backers say.

Flash also faces a roadblock in the future. As engineers make chip circuits more tiny, the circuits leak more power and ultimately lose their ability to store data after being turned off. The size limit appears to be around 45nm, although it will still be years before the flash industry starts using such tiny production technologies.

Phase-change memory can be scaled down to 22nm, or far smaller than flash memory, the searchers developing it say. It also appears able to be more durable than flash, whose memory cells start to break down after 100,000 rewrites.

While its prospects appear bright, the technology faces several hurdles. New chip designs must be relatively easy to manufacture, and they need to be cost-effective enough to attract device makers.

Rambus faced this issue when its chips failed to overtake DRAM as the main memory type for PCs several years ago, despite having the backing of Intel. The problem, some companies said, is that the chips was were too costly to produce -- although Rambus vehemently disagrees with this.

IBM has posted photos of the phase-change devices here, and some animation clips here.