Time for a new OS, reborn

[TechnoGeek]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_compositing here is more information about Alpha compositing (also called Alpha Transparency).

Most monitors do indeed only have three channels (RGB); the Alpha compositing is done by the application or toolkit rendering the images (WebKit, Trident, or Gecko for most browsers and their web pages, dwm.exe for Aero in Win7, or other graphics libraries depending on the libraries used by a program.)
The calculated colors after combining them (50% transparent red + 50% transparent blue = something like pink) is what is sent to the monitor.

[rogerk8]

Hi TechnoGeek!

This alpha-thing confuses me.

What is it's actual use?

I have read the Wikipedia article but I got no wiser (probably because I do not understand english so well...)

I have never heard of RGB not being enough (my RGB-armed CRT TV worked quite well...)

It seems like you want to be able to control the color intensity by a separate variable/channel.

But you can do that with ordinary RGB.

I don't see the point.

Other than some academic convenience.

Because when do you need to compare two images and select the "strength" of the combined color?

Isn't the picture just changing, yielding a new RGB-combination for the pixel?

Without really knowing what I'm talking about, this seems as pointless as multiple cores!

Do however please answer this, are ordinary pixels in my Nikon-taken photos stored as three or four bytes?

Best regards, Roger
PS
Attaching a picture of my CPU progress.

It is the CPLD-Schmartboard unit.

I now have only two steps left:

1) Mechanically stabelizing the unit on the "Mother Board" by using 4 pcs of short thick solid wires in the corners.
2) Make small hooks at the end of the 208 wires and mechanically tie them to each board pin before I solder them (some wires are stripped a bit short so this will probably not go so smooth as you might think).

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[TechnoGeek]

Hi TechnoGeek!
This alpha-thing confuses me.
What is it's actual use?
I have read the Wikipedia article but I got no wiser (probably because I do not understand english so well...)

Wikipedia isn't only in English... just click your language on the left side of the page.

I have never heard of RGB not being enough (my RGB-armed CRT TV worked quite well...)

It seems like you want to be able to control the color intensity by a separate variable/channel.

But you can do that with ordinary RGB.

I don't see the point.

Other than some academic convenience.

Because when do you need to compare two images and select the "strength" of the combined color?

Isn't the picture just changing, yielding a new RGB-combination for the pixel?

Without really knowing what I'm talking about, this seems as pointless as multiple cores!

If you actually read the article, you'll understand. It's very useful in web design and with graphics that have to be used in a variety of locations -- windows icons are a good example. When you look at a round icon (like firefox, ie, or google chrome,) the icon has an alpha-value of 0 for the transparent parts -- the parts around the circle. this lets it show on any desktop background without being an icon on a white box shape.

Do however please answer this, are ordinary pixels in my Nikon-taken photos stored as three or four bytes?

Probably not. Alpha transparency has to be added in by an image editor when you actually need to use it.

[rogerk8]

Hi TechnoGeek!

But why would you want to project the background through your image?

I am however beginning to understand now.

Don't feel like you have to answer this.

Best regards, Roger
PS
The swedish description was actually rediculously short. But the graphical explanation was way better than yours!

I am attaching the picture.

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[BC_Programmer]

Why is it always the people who claim to know so much that end up knowing so little?

[rogerk8]

Maybe it is because we see the simple solutions where you brain-washed people only see the modern solutions. 

[TechnoGeek]

Maybe it is because we see the simple solutions where you brain-washed people only see the modern solutions. 

If you think there's a better solution to transparency than an alpha channel then by all means describe it... I'm failing to see here how your  'simple' solutions you describe are actually better than what's being done already (our 'modern' solutions, a lot of which are actually not that recent)

[BC_Programmer]

If you think there's a better solution to transparency than an alpha channel then by all means describe it... I'm failing to see here how your  'simple' solutions you describe are actually better than what's being done already (our 'modern' solutions, a lot of which are actually not that recent)

Well, it certainly isn't because he's a heavy drinker and when "under the spell" he frequently gets the idea that his long running project (which so far  just seems to be a bunch of ICs stapled together that may or may not actually work to do something) Might not be a healthy thing to waste decades with, so he's decided that, when not inebriated, he will try to catch on to the tassels of any nearby pole-stripping idea and hold on for dear life, no matter how hard we "brainwashed people" try to pull him from the teat he will continue to suckle it long after it has been rendered into a dried mammary husk.

It's certainly NOT because of that.

[TechnoGeek]

That post is easily one of the most entertaining things I've ever read, BC... 

[rogerk8]

Hi!

I hope you wasn't offended by my swenglish expression.

I think it came out wrong.

What I wanted to say was more like:

"Sometimes you can't see the forest for all the trees"

Best regards, Roger

[rogerk8]

Just to make you envious 

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[patio]

No offense...but i'll be envious only when it's up and running...
Hopefully before this Topic is closed...

[BC_Programmer]

"Sometimes you can't see the forest for all the trees"

OK, now this expression has it's uses, and is certainly applicable in some situations. many software projects lose focus. However, you cannot go and apply it to everything. it's an expression, not a generalization that can be used to justify half-cocked ideas.

Sometimes, a simpler approach works, and solves the problem. Occasionally a problem analysis overcomplicates things.

However, it doesn't fundamentally give merit to ideas. If an idea or solution is actually a case of "seeing the forest through the trees" than an analysis would have people in the know going "Wow, why didn't I think of that" rather than thinking you are a one muffin short of a dozen. Now you may think it's fair to agree to disagree, and I certainly do as well, but I am not about to agree that your ideas "Might have merit" because, plain and simple, none of what you presented really has any merit whatsoever; in fact, you don't even have a solution. You just say they aren't making programs as efficient as they could possibly be. I agreed. But the fact is t hat the reason programs aren't made as efficient as they need to be is because they don't have to be, for the same reason we can make cars out of steel and plastic rather than pure tungsten or shuttle-grade titanium, even though the latter would result in a "more efficient" vehicle, it's also not economically feasible.

[rogerk8]

Hi BC (and Patio)!

I hear what you are saying and appreciate your kindness and wiseness.

Will you however let me post the below before we continue?

I was just about to post it when I got a warning that there were two more replies.

Here it comes. Grab hold of something 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well ok BC, I have now decoded your input.

These were the words I had to look up:   

inebriated=berusad
tassels=tofs
teat=bröstvårta
suckle=amma
mammary=(däggdjurs)bröst-
husk=värdelöst yttre skal

I find your input non-insulting (and quite funny actually). It was just an adequate response to my rather stupid remark and, most of all, my stubborness.

When it comes to the alpha-channel I simply just find it as useless as multiple cores. Ordinary RGB is and will always be good enough.

Because believe me, I have tried to find a single situation that transparency really is needed, but I can't find any.

But maybe I am actually stupid.

Guess what?

I don't care 

Best regards, Roger

[BC_Programmer]

When it comes to the alpha-channel I simply just find it as useless as multiple cores. Ordinary RGB is and will always be good enough.

Alpha is used in images for compositing.

Consider it this way. A Game, or other piece of software, that has a customizable background. The software or game has a title screen, and they want it to have a "drop shadow" on the text. This means they either draw that drop shadow manually in the source code (consuming extra CPU time) make a separate image for every single possible background image, or simply use an extra translucency channel on another image. This let's the same optimized blitting code to be used to blit the new image and composite it over the original, creating a new image. Another important thing is that a lot of programs generate full, 32-bit bitmaps on the fly for various purposes for compositing. usually in a layered approach: for example, when a given object changes shape, the program might create a translucent drop shadow image, and cache that for later use. Then when it does use it, it might create the composited version (with the normal image and the "drop shadow" image, with the former drawn on top of the latter) and cache that for drawing purposes.

For the purpose of actual display, 24-bit RGB is usually plenty. but when <creating> that 24-bit RGB image to be shown on-screen, Alpha can be used to composite various images to save both CPU time as well as disk or memory space. Without sacrificing appearance.

But even then: 24-Bit RGB isn't enough for everything, since the color space literally cannot show every single possible colour. This is, as I noted earlier, particularly prevalent with the purposes of desktop publishing or printing, both because of the different color space but also because sRGB cannot represent certain tones and colours with 100% accuracy, which can result in the output in a screen looking different on a printer. This of course is partially unavoidable, since screens are likely to use RGB colorspaces for the foreseeable future- but locking the images themselves to use the RGB Colorspace can be a problem in these cases because the original information is lost in the conversion to the colour space.

I have tried to find a single situation that transparency really is needed, but I can't find any.

And you've accused us of not having imagination... It's translucency, really; but 1-bit transparency masks are useful too, for many of the same reasons. If it wasn't for transparency masks and transluscency, every single icon used in today's GUI systems would have the same color background.