4 ms·

If 1 pt = 0.75 pixels, then there is no meaningful distinction between the measurements. It's a scale factor. It's like advocating for mm over cm. I don't quite

by narkee 15y ago

If 1 pt = 0.75 pixels, then there is no meaningful distinction between the measurements. It's a scale factor. It's like advocating for mm over cm. I don't quite understand the point of the article. If he's worried about terminology, then redefine the word pixel as being 4/3 of a pt. Problem solved. Also, either his last sentence is a mistake, or I must have misunderstood the entire article.

esk 15y ago
For those too lazy to click through to the article, the author says that neither pt nor px are relative units, and then drops a bewildering bomb: "I’m saying is when you need an absolute measure you’ll want to define it in pixels." I'm assuming the last sentence must be a typo, because his entire piece (poorly) advocates using pt rather than px.
baddox 15y ago
Yeah, either I'm missing something big in his post, or he is really confused about what's he's discussing.
- blakefrost 15y ago
  I am confused, but not about this.
georgemcbay 15y ago
I totally agree. As someone who is a programmer, not a designer my reaction to reading this is: "What is this I don't even...." I figured he was going to be advocating moving to a relative system where the rendering engine was made aware of the dpi of the display and vector graphics (or differently sized bitmaps as in the Android ldpi/mdpi/hdpi model) were used where possible, because we very clearly have to start embracing that model as the dpi and size of devices is beginning to be wildly divergent in all directions... but what he's actually suggesting is basically meaningless, IMO.
- blakefrost 15y ago
  If you're referring to that last line, yeah I totally fat fingered that. I fixed it. I'm advocating moving to an absolute system. As in an absolute width, measured here, measured there, measured anywhere. This can then be scaled to mimic the appropriate absolute width based on viewing distance and other parameters such as screen real estate. I know what you're thinking. "But pixels are an absolute measure...". Actually yes, and actually yes. Pixels are an absolute measure in the sense that they state that I want something to be the absolute size of a single pixel but the pixel is arbitrary and now your absolute measure is relative to the actual size of the pixel. As mighty as this sounds, it actually turns out to be not all that useful in design; as screen resolutions vary so will your renderings. This is why CSS pixels are different, they're for all intents an purposes interpreted as 1/96th of an inch. So, great they're absolutely 1/96th of an inch, they're absolute! So why should you stop using them? This paragraph is why you should stop using them. I didn't like writing this paragraph, and I'm gonna guess you didn't like reading it. Pixels are confusing and pixels are * liars. Use points.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
blakefrost 15y ago
OP here. Sure, you can redefine pixel, that's what was done. Why do you need this measure though? 1/96th is so close to points, you might as well just use points and now you're on a universal system. Pixels use to mean something (a pixel). Now they're used as an absolute unit of measure so that websites (nearly all of them) based on this assumption don't break. Do we really need this unit? Isn't it confusing (1/96th does not a pixel make)? If we stop using it incorrectly maybe it could mean pixel again. Wouldn't that be neat?

by narkee 15y ago

esk 15y ago

For those too lazy to click through to the article, the author says that neither pt nor px are relative units, and then drops a bewildering bomb: "I’m saying is when you need an absolute measure you’ll want to define it in pixels." I'm assuming the last sentence must be a typo, because his entire piece (poorly) advocates using pt rather than px.

baddox 15y ago

Yeah, either I'm missing something big in his post, or he is really confused about what's he's discussing.

blakefrost 15y ago
I am confused, but not about this.

georgemcbay 15y ago

I totally agree. As someone who is a programmer, not a designer my reaction to reading this is: "What is this I don't even...." I figured he was going to be advocating moving to a relative system where the rendering engine was made aware of the dpi of the display and vector graphics (or differently sized bitmaps as in the Android ldpi/mdpi/hdpi model) were used where possible, because we very clearly have to start embracing that model as the dpi and size of devices is beginning to be wildly divergent in all directions... but what he's actually suggesting is basically meaningless, IMO.

blakefrost 15y ago
If you're referring to that last line, yeah I totally fat fingered that. I fixed it. I'm advocating moving to an absolute system. As in an absolute width, measured here, measured there, measured anywhere. This can then be scaled to mimic the appropriate absolute width based on viewing distance and other parameters such as screen real estate. I know what you're thinking. "But pixels are an absolute measure...". Actually yes, and actually yes. Pixels are an absolute measure in the sense that they state that I want something to be the absolute size of a single pixel but the pixel is arbitrary and now your absolute measure is relative to the actual size of the pixel. As mighty as this sounds, it actually turns out to be not all that useful in design; as screen resolutions vary so will your renderings. This is why CSS pixels are different, they're for all intents an purposes interpreted as 1/96th of an inch. So, great they're absolutely 1/96th of an inch, they're absolute! So why should you stop using them? This paragraph is why you should stop using them. I didn't like writing this paragraph, and I'm gonna guess you didn't like reading it. Pixels are confusing and pixels are * liars. Use points.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

blakefrost 15y ago

OP here. Sure, you can redefine pixel, that's what was done. Why do you need this measure though? 1/96th is so close to points, you might as well just use points and now you're on a universal system. Pixels use to mean something (a pixel). Now they're used as an absolute unit of measure so that websites (nearly all of them) based on this assumption don't break. Do we really need this unit? Isn't it confusing (1/96th does not a pixel make)? If we stop using it incorrectly maybe it could mean pixel again. Wouldn't that be neat?