Here is more than you wanted to know: Quartz is the 2D rendering technology that Apple developed from a NeXTSTEP technology that was built on Display Postscript from Adobe. Quartz uses PDF instead of DPS due to development of standards and such over time. Quartz Extreme is the 3D rendering expansion of Quartz and uses OpenGL technology to expand its rendering capability. If you have a DVD movie playing and open a Terminal window, then make the Terminal window transparent and drag it over the top of the DVD window you will see that both the DVD and the Terminal remain responsive, the DVD does not skip and if you have a process [such as top] running in the Terminal that it will run without slow down.
This is because neither Terminal nor DVD Player are rendering the composite of their graphics/video output. DVD Player decodes the DVD video and outputs it, Terminal runs its process and outputs it, but the graphics and video rendering is actually done by Quartz, therefore the programs do not slow down or become unresponsive because they do not have to expend their resources on working with each other to render the proper video output. That is just an example that is easy to see. In reality ALL video and graphics rendering is done by Quartz. When you move a window or open a menu that is being done, in part, by Quartz. Quartz and Quartz Extreme are really background technologies, and yes you use them every day in nearly everything you do, its not so much the level of effect they have but how close their affect is to the surface. Yes they enhance web browsing, yes they enhance iPhoto, iTunes, the Finder, QuickTime, and everything else. Do you really "see" the affect unless you know what to look for or you set it in an example context [like the DVD Player/Terminal example], no, not generally. And yes, your PowerBook will support all of this functionality very well. David On Thursday, March 13, 2003, at 12:17 PM, w appling wrote: > RE; Hi all, Im sure this has all been covered however I still do not > fully understand Quartz Extreme, > I think My 800 TI powerbook with 8500 video card will handle it, but > what does it do? Is it only for rendering such as a graphics > enviroment? or does it do anything during just normal home use such as > I-photo?or web browsing.? > Im sorry to bore with repeating this, but I didnt have a compliant > machine until recently.. > thankyou all -- G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
