Newer screens packed with pixel are great for detailed images -- but only if software can take advantage of them. Now browser makers have settled on an approach. February 3, 2014 3:02 AM PST It looks like browser makers have settled on a way to handle high-resolution images now common with the arrival of screens like Apple's Retina displays with lots of densely packed pixels. Browser makers haven't offered Web developers a consistent, easy way to show the right image for a given screen's size and resolution -- an idea called responsive design. That's been a shame, since screens with high pixel densities are increasingly common on laptops, tablets, and smartphones and can offer crisp, detailed photos and graphics. The first breakthrough came in September when support emerged for a standard called srcset, nudged along when Apple added the feature into Safari. The approach seemed to be winning out over a rival proposal, the introduction of a new "picture" element. But that consensus was shattered when Google introduced another option called src-N, which appealed to Mozilla's Firefox developers. A long debate ensued over November, December, and January, that produced a different outcome: a hybrid approach emerged that includes srcset and also added some of the src-N ideas to the picture element. Several browser makers have settled on a way to get detailed, high-resolution images onto screens that are densely packed with pixels. As a result, a one-line change in Chrome on Sunday changed the one aspect of the approach called "srcset" from experimental to stable. (Credit: screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET) One change that src-N had offered over srcset was "art direction," which for example lets a Web developer show a cropped version of a photo on a smaller screen. Related stories Chrome gets high-resolution screen support on Windows, too Apple's high-res wallpaper suggests Retina iMac, monitor Air Display app for iPad brings Retina-level resolution to Macs There was "too much pushback on src-N, so we gave up on it," said one of its authors, Tab Atkins Jr., in an e-mail to CNET. The Responsive Images Community Group has been working on the new approach since then, he said. "This approach seems cleaner than src-N," said Apple's Maciej Stachowiak of the newer approach. The curious can examine a draft version of the responsive-images specification to see how it works in detail. Google is moving ahead with the idea with srcset support arriving in Chrome as a first step. On Sunday, developer Yoav Weiss added srcset support with a one-line change that moved srcset from an experimental to stable feature.
Newer screens packed with pixel are great for detailed images -- but only if software can take advantage of them. Now browser makers have settled on an approach.
It looks like browser makers have settled on a way to handle high-resolution images now common with the arrival of screens like Apple's Retina displays with lots of densely packed pixels.
Browser makers haven't offered Web developers a consistent, easy way to show the right image for a given screen's size and resolution -- an idea called responsive design. That's been a shame, since screens with high pixel densities are increasingly common on laptops, tablets, and smartphones and can offer crisp, detailed photos and graphics.
The first breakthrough came in September when support emerged for a standard called srcset, nudged along when Apple added the feature into Safari. The approach seemed to be winning out over a rival proposal, the introduction of a new "picture" element.
But that consensus was shattered when Google introduced another option called src-N, which appealed to Mozilla's Firefox developers. A long debate ensued over November, December, and January, that produced a different outcome: a hybrid approach emerged that includes srcset and also added some of the src-N ideas to the picture element.
Several browser makers have settled on a way to get detailed, high-resolution images onto screens that are densely packed with pixels. As a result, a one-line change in Chrome on Sunday changed the one aspect of the approach called "srcset" from experimental to stable.
(Credit: screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)
One change that src-N had offered over srcset was "art direction," which for example lets a Web developer show a cropped version of a photo on a smaller screen.
Related stories
- Chrome gets high-resolution screen support on Windows, too
- Apple's high-res wallpaper suggests Retina iMac, monitor
- Air Display app for iPad brings Retina-level resolution to Macs
There was "too much pushback on src-N, so we gave up on it," said one of its authors, Tab Atkins Jr., in an e-mail to CNET. The Responsive Images Community Group has been working on the new approach since then, he said.
"This approach seems cleaner than src-N," said Apple's Maciej Stachowiak of the newer approach. The curious can examine a draft version of the responsive-images specification to see how it works in detail.
Google is moving ahead with the idea with srcset support arriving in Chrome as a first step. On Sunday, developer Yoav Weiss added srcset support with a one-line change that moved srcset from an experimental to stable feature.
