Microsoft has refreshed its lineup of DirectX offerings at the start of this week, and the company is by no means shy of focusing the spotlight on the evolution of the graphics technology as Windows 7 is contouring. The software giant is offering fresh Technical Previews of Direct2D, DirectWrite, and DXGI 1.1, but also a new TP release of Windows 7/Direct3D 11. The components are available for download as an integral part of the March 2009 iteration of the DirectX Software Development Kit, which is accompanied by the DirectX End-User Runtimes (March 2009) and the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer. Microsoft delivered the first taste of Windows 7 DirectX 11 through the SDK back in November 2008.
Obviously the releases are aimed at a professional audience. Developers will be able to leverage the latest release of the SDK, combining the DirectX Runtime and additional software designed to permit the building of DirectX compliant solutions. With the March 2009 DirectX update, Microsoft has refreshed the tools and utilities included with the software development kit, but also the code samples, documentation, and the 32-bit and 64-bit runtime debug files. Read More»
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February 16, 2009 by
Jason As an integral part of taking the graphics capabilities of Windows 7 to the next level, Microsoft has also catalyzed the evolution of text, both in relation to typography and text rendering, in the next iteration of the Windows client. According to Microsoft, over 80% of the time spent in front of a computer is related to either reading or writing text. This is why the Redmond company has poured resources into improving the quality of text in Windows 7, quality which is synonymous with typography. “As a platform, the role of Windows is to deliver great presentation of text and offering software developers great tools for creating the best presentation possible in the context of the software they develop,†revealed Worachai Chaoweeraprasit, a development lead on the Graphics feature team.
First off, Windows 7 is designed to kick ClearType up a notch. Taking advantage of the LCD pixel architecture and leveraging the human visual system, ClearType manages to spread the energy associated with a single pixel to the neighboring sub-pixels in, making text appear sharper. In Windows 7, ClearType comes with increased clarity, allowing end users to opt from a wider variety of granular choices via the ClearType Text Tuner. Read More»
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