WINDOWING SYSTEM WITH INDEPENDENT WINDOWS FOR ARBITRARY RESOLUTION FOR DISPLAY ON MULTIPLE DEVICES OF ARBITRARY RESOLUTION

摘要

A resolution independent windowing system comprises a method for performing windowing operations directly in device space for a graphics system which specifies all drawings in coordinate space. The re-sizing effects of rendering an object in different places on the coordinate grid are absorbed in the window borders, allowing the window contents to be moved without re-drawing them. The window can be moved without re-drawing it even when the resolution of the device the window is displaced in differs from the source resolution of the rendering system. Furthermore, window contents are drawn relative to the coordinate of the top left of the window to provide each window with its own device grid independent of the window position on the device. The present invention includes: a method for displaying a window independent of the resolution of the display device; a method for rendering multiple, overlapping windows of independently arbitrary resolutions, and a method for scrolling a finite coordinate grid independent of resolution of the display device. These methods can be used alone or in combination to greatly enhance the graphic images displayed on a display device.