[HTMLView] Bugreports

[MaxX]

I see that here's still no topic for HTMLView.wlx plugin, so I've decided to create it.

And here's first bug-report, made by user from russian forum.
It's about wrong font-smoothing at TC 8.0 rc2 (x32) + HTMLView v.1.2.6 (x32) + Win7 x64 (with ClearType disabled) + IE9.
What to do:
1. Get this html file

Code: Select all

MIME-Version: 1.0 
 Content-Type: application/octet-stream; name="test.htm" 
 Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 
 Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="test.htm" 

 PHByZT4NCg0K8vPyIO3l6ujpIPLl6vHyLi4uDQrr/uHu6S4uLg0K4eXnIPDg5+3o9vsg6uDq7uku 
 Li4NCg0K4+vg4u3u5SAtIOIgaHRtbC3y5ePg9SBwcmUNCugg8ezu8vDl8vwg7eAgd2luNw0KDQoN 
 CjwvcHJlPg==

2. "Open" it with Ctrl+Q (TC's lister quick view)
3. Maximize TC's window (here we get the bug!)
4. Get back - nothing changes.
That user also gives us an animated image (with step-by-step actions) - http://savepic.su/1970152.gif (4 frames @ 3 sec.).

[petermad]

3. Maximize TC's window (here we get the bug!)

I don't see anything peculiar - not in http://savepic.su/1970152.gif either.

4. Get back - nothing changes.

What was supposed to change?

Win7 x64 (with ClearType disabled) + IE9.

Without using a hack ( http://www.softwareninjas.ca/dwrite-dll-wrapper ) you can (unfortunately) not disable Cleartype in IE9

[MaxX]

2petermad

1. You should see, that after FIRST resizing of window mono-color smoothing disappears and never appear anymore untill plugin is restarted. I also can reproduce this.

2. It's supposed that text shouldn't loose his default appearance.

3. IE uses NOT cleartype! It uses mono-color cmoothing (better than CT).

[petermad]

IE uses NOT cleartype! It uses mono-color cmoothing (better than CT).

Fonts in IE9 looks terrible!

Anyway whether it is ClearType or another font smothing technique - it cannot be disabled in IE9 as it could in IE8 (where it was referred to as ClearType in the advanced options setting).

I cannot understand why some people prefers this: http://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/ie9fontsmoothing.png for this: http://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/ie9nonfontsmoothing.png

[umbra]

I cannot understand why some people prefers this: http://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/ie9fontsmoothing.png for this: http://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/ie9nonfontsmoothing.png

Maybe because they see it differently. ClearType (and other similar techniques) + WinXP sometimes simply doesn't work. See how it renders on Win7: Image: http://i1057.photobucket.com/albums/t399/uumbra8/TC/23-5-font.png. As you can see, the text is a bit sharper. Plus it greatly depends on your monitor (LCD vs. CRT, resolution, ...).

[MaxX]

Fonts in IE9 looks terrible!

Agree, but ClearType looks much worse because CT uses subpixel rendering instead of the "default" monocolored method.

I cannot understand why some people prefers this: http://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/ie9fontsmoothing.png for this: http://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/ie9nonfontsmoothing.png

This font is bad example, but I understand is good. That's one more reason to use Opera, which does NOT have such a smoothing.
E.g., if you have some specific and big fonts or 200%-sized page on display with over200 dpi... if you like this... it can be useful.

the text is a bit sharper

Smoothed text will NEVER be sharper then not-smoothed.

p.s.
Don't make offtop. Only bugreports and bugfixes, please!

[petermad]

See how it renders on Win7

My screenshots was from Win7 - IE9 doesn't exist for Win XP.

Anyway I tested your test.htm file in TC 8.0 32 bit under Windows 7 x64 and I cannot see any difference before and after maximizing TC:
http://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/htmlviewstd.png and http://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/htmlviewmax.png

Or after adding <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=windows-1251"> to test.htm to see cyrillic characters:
http://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/htmlviewstd1251.png and http://madsenworld.dk/tcmd/htmlviewmax1251.png

And still - these screenshots ARE from Windows 7 !

This font is bad example

It is Times New Roman - default in most browsers including IE.

[MaxX]

My screenshots was from Win7 - IE9 doesn't exist for Win XP.

You have cleartype ON. Turn it off to see.

Times New Roman - default in most browsers

Yes, it is. But I was talking about font smoothing, which looks better on NON-stadnard (artistic, special, etc.) fonts. In some cases it can look good (12 pt, Italic, inverted colors), but in most of situations is useless, as I said before.

[petermad]

You have cleartype ON. Turn it off to see.

No - I have ClearType off in my Windows 7 (cttune.exe) and I have also font smoothing disabled in Windows performance settings (SystemPropertiesPerformance.exe).

[MaxX]

2petermad
Just enlarge your screenshots to 800% to see coloured subpixels on text - here's cleartype!
Don't try to fool me.

[petermad]

Don't try to fool me.

I have no intention of fooling you, but as I wrote: font smoothing cannot be diasbled in IE9 (see for example: http://www.softwareninjas.ca/dwrite-dll-wrapper ), and IE9 is responsible for viewing the file with HTMLView. If you look at my screenshot you can also see that for example TC's file lists are not font smoothed - that should be proof that I have disabled font smooting system wise.

You might argue that TC's Menu bar looks antialiased on my screenshot, but that again must be Windows forcing it (although unwanted) - the 64bit version of TC does not have anialiased menu as far as I remember (don't have it available here).

Anyway - as you can see in my screenshots - The content of the Ctrl+Q panel looks the same after maximizing TC's window - that's why I say that I cannot reproduce the bug.

Also, I just tried maximizing my screenshots - I only see pixels of different gray shades in the Ctrl+Q panel, no colored pixels.

[Flint]

and IE9 is responsible for viewing the file with HTMLView

It's not. HTMLView uses ActiveX control which is stuck at version 7, even if newer IE version is installed. This can be easily checked by opening some complex HTML page which is rendered differently in IE7 and IE9: in HTMLView it would look as in IE7.

[Sob]

I can confirm the bug.

I can also confirm that even though ClearType is disabled, some things may still use it. For me it happens when I change Windows theme. Menubars then use ClearType until restart (lets call it "messed-up state"), after that it goes away. Window titles on the other hand use ClearType always, no matter what. Tested with standard Aero and petermad's Luna (Win7 x64).

But back to the bug, it happens in both 32-bit and 64-bit TC. Not only in quick view, but also in Lister. Basically the antialiasing goes away on any window size change. Move the border by just one pixel and it's gone. It happens only with ClearType really disabled, not in the "messed-up state" described above.

[MaxX]

2Sob
Yes, that's it.

[petermad]

I can also confirm that even though ClearType is disabled, some things may still use it. For me it happens when I change Windows theme. Menubars then use ClearType until restart (lets call it "messed-up state"), after that it goes away. Window titles on the other hand use ClearType always, no matter what.

Aha - I can confirm that - I usually let my Win 7 PC hibernate, so I didn't get rid of the "messed-up state" - thanks.

It happens only with ClearType really disabled, not in the "messed-up state" described above.

I still can't reproduce it (after system restart) - the text stays aliased (only gray pixels) here, no matter what I do.