gdipp – Alternative Windows Font Render

Although Windows own ClearType font render works reasonably well on LCD screens as well as CRT monitors, an open source project is working on an alternative Windows font renderer.

Called gdipp, this open source replacement of the Windows default text render brings text rendering effect as seen in Mac OS and Linux distributions. Take a look at the screenshots below to judge the difference.

ClearType

ClearType_(Segoe_UI)

gdipp

gdipp_(Segoe_UI)

ClearType

ClearType_(Myriad_Pro)

gdipp

gdipp_(Myriad_Pro)

gdipp’s rendering is more anti-aliased which causes the bold and blurry effect. It’s difficult to say which one looks better. User adoption would clearly be a matter of choice. Another factor that could be deciding is system stability.

gdipp can be installed in three different modes. The recommended mode is as a Windows service that brings system wide rendering and is also the most stable and compatible. Another way to install it as a Registry key which provides the best rendering but is very unstable. The third option is to install it in the Program Mode that generates a shortcut on the desktop. To view any program with the gdipp render the user needs to drag and drop the program shortcut to gdipp’s shortcut on the desktop. The program mode is useful for testing purposes.

gdipp supports both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7/Vista. It may also work correctly on Windows XP and 2003. However, due to the significant difference in the system architectures, the rendering could be less stable and compatible.

[via Shell City]

Comments

How to Record CPU and Memory Usage Over Time in Windows?

Whenever the computer is lagging or some application is taking too long to respond, we usually fire up task manager and look under the Performance tab or under Processes to check on processor utilization or the amount of free memory available. The task manager is ideal for real-time analysis of CPU and memory utilization. It even displays a short history of CPU utilization in the form of a graph. You get a small time-window, about 30 seconds or so, depending on how large the viewing area is.

How to Schedule Changes to Your Facebook Page Cover Photo

Facebook’s current layout, the so called Timeline, features a prominent, large cover photo that some people are using in a lot of different creative ways. Timeline is also available for Facebook Pages that people can use to promote their website or business or event. Although you can change the cover photo as often as you like, it’s meant to be static – something which you design and leave it for at least a few weeks or months like a redesigned website. However, there are times when you may want to change the cover photo frequently and periodically to match event dates or some special promotion that you are running or plan to run. So, here is how you can do that.

Diagram 101: Different Types of Diagrams and When To Use Them

Diagrams are a great way to visualize information and convey meaning. The problem is that there’s too many different types of diagrams, so it can be hard to know which ones you should use in any given situation. To help you out, we’ve created this diagram that lays out the 7 most common types of diagrams and when they’re best used:

Instant Fundas

Search This Blog