Java & Retina Displays

[Steve H]

Wondering if anyone has read any updates about compatibility of Java and Apple retina displays.

Steve H

[Scott]

I'm not a developer but according to the bug tracker posted by John Golin it appears the issue may have been addressed in Java 7 update 51.

http://aerowinx.com/forum/topic.php?post=13427#post13427

[John Golin]

Most recent feedback in the team was that there are still issues with current releases of OSX and Java for Retina displays....

(not me, I don't have a Mac!)

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Just because I am not iAware -- what is so different about Retina displays, except that they are of a generally higher resolution? Isn't it just more pixels per inch, and why would especially Java get into trouble and not also everything else? Java does not perform direct hardware access, right? It just sits on top of the OS video drivers?


Hoppie

[Hardy Heinlin]

Java does not perform direct hardware access, right?

Wrong! PSX and Java do access the hardware directly, otherwise you wouldn't get such high frame rates.

Direct access was introduced in Java in 1998 or so.

Retina displays require bigger icons and stuff, i.e. bigger bitmaps for the OS related GUI graphics of an application. You can't just zoom them in; that makes them unsharp. An icon or button of 50 x 50 now needs to be 100 x 100. As there are lots of graphic methods in the language, nearly every single method that includes scaling or clipping has to be specialized for Retina displays. E.g., in PSX, a semi-transparent bitmap layer on the glareshield panel is missing due to a Java/Retina problem.


Cheers,

|-|ardy

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Got it. Thx!

[Steve H]

Thanks to all for the feedback. At this point, it seems like the compatibility problem has not yet been solved, right?

[Hardy Heinlin]

Right. Unfortunately.

[Jeroen D]

You guys are way to technical for me. But I can tell you that I absolutely love the Retina display on my new iPad air!

I don;t know if it is the retina display perse, but it has a very silky smooth touch to it. Very different from my old iPad.

Jeroen

[Christian Adrigan]

I would be interested in using PSX with my iPad Mini 2 (Retina Display) as a CDU display.

Will it a) work somehow, eg by "undocking" the CDU into another window or whatever, and b) if yes, what would be recommended software bridge(s) between my windows desktop replacement notebook and an iPad??

MaxiVista? I have no clue.

Thank you,
Chris

[Hardy Heinlin]

Hi Chris,

PSX is a Java program. Regrettably, Retina Displays are currently not fully supported by Java: the graphics are not correctly shown, and the frame rates are very low.

Not sure what you mean by "undocking". The PSX frame can be freely resized, and the content can be panned and scaled, so that you can display whatever you like at any size at any zoom setting. Additionaly, you can add up to four subframes within the main frame, whereas each subframe again may be individually panned and scaled.

PSX network instances (e.g. on iMacs, Windows PCs, Linux PCs) are simply connected by Ethernet cables. The PSX network uses TCP/IP only, hence it is platform independent.


Cheers,

|-|ardy

[Jeroen D]

Hi Chris,

PSX is a Java program. Regrettably, Retina Displays are currently not fully supported by Java: the graphics are not correctly shown, and the frame rates are very low.

Rats, just realized, this means PSX won't run on my brand new MacBook Pro with retina display! Glad I kept my previous Macbook Pro as well then!

Jeroen

[Scott]

Hi Chris,

PSX is a Java program. Regrettably, Retina Displays are currently not fully supported by Java: the graphics are not correctly shown, and the frame rates are very low.

I assume the same holds true if one were to use a Windows OS running in a Parallels VM or in a Bootcamp partition on a Retina Macbook Pro?

[Pierre Theillere]

Good afternoon Christian Adrigan,

As a plain java program, PSx can't run on an iPad (or Apple's "iThings") natively. But, using a VNC client (such as iTeleport) I've been using iPhones, iPods and iPads without any single problem, as a PSx "tactile" instructor's panel, Overhead Panel, EFIS or EICAS screens... so it will be very easy to do it for any of the 3 MCDUs too!
Only requirements are a computer (Mac, Windows or Linux does work) that acts as a VNC or RDP server, setting (via its OS) the "remote desktop" feature, connected to the same network as your iPad (or iPod, iPhone).

[Christian Adrigan]

Thank you, Hardy & Pierre! Sounds good. Will investigate.

[John Golin]

Its worth noting the PSX interface is not really designed for touchscreens, rather keyboard and mouse. Often touchscreens work fine, but there are some challenges to touchscreen alone.

[ralfi75]

hi all,

so just to be clear: does this mean that PSX won't run at all on recent MacBook Pro's with Retina displays? Or in case yes, which are the expected flaws?

Unfortunately the older "non-Retina" Macbooks only have 1440x900 screen resolution, which will be probably not the same "using experience" as a full HD resolution?

Thanks for your comments.


Cheers!

R

[Hardy Heinlin]

Hi R,

on Retina Displays the PSX graphics are not correctly shown, some essential graphic layers are invisible, and the frame rates are very low, close to slide show level. It will run, but it will be unusable.

It could be that there will be a Java update for that Retina problem at the time when PSX is released, or later, but nobody knows!


Cheers,

|-|ardy

[ralfi75]

Hello Hardy

thanks for your answer. Now it is clear!
Looking very much forward to PSX!

Cheers

Ralf

[Alec246]

You told us once Java is used by Apple on the iOS system.

Will it be possible to use, like the iPad screen to show a flight instrument, or maybe the FMC?

Would be so cool!