Apple Inc.

Andrew R Barnes

Ralph T Brunner

Peter N Graffagnino

The disclosed embodiments provide a system that drives a first display and a second display with a higher pixel density than the first display from a computer system. During operation, the system provides a set of backing stores for windows in the computer system. Next, the system enables a first set of clients to draw to the backing stores using a virtual coordinate system. Finally, the system uses the backing stores to drive the first and second displays so that a given distance in the virtual coordinate system is substantially the same size on the first and second displays.

Resolution-independent virtual display

Methods and apparatuses for resizing buffered windows. In one aspect of the invention, a method to resize a buffered window on a data processing system includes: determining an estimated size for a window which has a first pixel image of a first size buffered in a first window buffer; allocating a second window buffer which is large enough to buffer the window in the estimated size; and buffering a second pixel image of the window in a second size in the second window buffer. In one example according to this aspect, a portion of a frame buffer is updated to the second pixel image to display the window in the second size. A portion of the second window buffer, storing the data that represents the second pixel image, is clipped to update the corresponding portion of the frame buffer.

Growing community of inventors

Foster City, CA, United States of America

Andrew R Barnes