Aqua (data-processing)

See also: Aqua

Aqua is the name given by Apple to the Graphical interface of sound Operating system Mac OS X. Faithful to the ideas that evoke its name, Aqua is characterized mainly by the use of the transparency of the windows and the menus, the Anticrénelage of the text and the images, and the reaction to the actions of the user by animations.

History

A birth symbol of the revival of Apple

It is on January 5th, 2000 that Apple revealed Aqua. The discovery of the Graphical interface of the future Mac OS X is then as outstanding as the discovery of the new design of the Macintosh of the time could the being. One passes in both cases of dull and monotonous colors to bright colors.

A progressive transition

July 19th, 2000, Apple introduced some of the concepts of the graphical interface of the future Mac OS X (the “buttons gélules”, characteristic scroll bars, the brushed metal texture, etc) into the second version of its software IMovie, however intended for Mac OS 9. The company renewed the experiment with the launching of iTunes in January 2001, before definitively adopting Aqua with the marketing of the first version of Mac OS X on March 24th, 2001.

Updates

Apple did not cease updating the graphical interface of Mac OS X at the wire of the updates of this last:
  • on July 17th, 2002, Apple announces that Mac OS X 10.2 will be the occasion to discover Extreme Quartz which, thanks to a material Accélération by the graphics card, allows a reactivity of the more important interface and the addition of new more complex animations;
  • on June 23rd, 2003 marks an important advance for Aqua, with the demonstration by Apple of Exposé, new functionality for Mac OS X 10.3 which fills certain gaps of the Dock with regard to the management of a big number of windows;
  • on June 28th, 2004, Apple presented Core Image and Core Video, components of Mac OS X 10.4, which allow the addition of more advanced effects again (the water drop of the Dashboard, for example);
  • the marketing of Mac OS X 10.5 (planned for October 2007 will constitute an evolution of size for Aqua, since Apple hopes to entirely make it vectorial. At the time when the size of the monitors of computer increases considerably, the elements posted with the screen will be able to thus keep a reasonably large visible size, while preserving a high resolution. At the time of a first outline of the future version of its operating system, Apple also announced that it will contain Spaces, a complement with Exposé intended to organize its windows in groups in various spaces (“virtual offices”), and Core Animation, component allowing the use of many animations by the applications. More recently, at the time of an outline of the “almost final” version of “ Leopard ”, Apple declared that the interface would be harmonized (abandonment of the metal brushed with the only profit of the topic of ITunes 7), and that the office would be re-examined.

Basic ideas

Aqua takes again the majority of the principle-key of the previous models of the graphical interfaces of Mac OS all in their making many improvements.

The single zone of menu

Since the first Macintosh, Apple chose to keep finely only one zone of constantly visible (except of course at the time of the diaporamas or the presentations in full screen), thus dissociating majority of the others operating systems. This single zone of menu is placed in top of the screen and has four zones. From left to right:

  1. le finely Pomme, fixes, which contains total orders relatives :
    • au operating system (updated, total preferences, closing of session, etc),
    • with machine (material information, extinction, restarting, etc)   ;
  2. le finely of application, in fat, which change according to the application to the first-plan and which contains orders relating to the application in itself (“by the way”, preferences, masking, services, to leave, etc)   ;
  3. les small of window, which changes according to the active window of the application to first-plan (file, edition, presentation, assistance, etc)   ;
  4. les “will extras”, a zone of menus personnalisable by the user, and who can contenir :
    • les small “will extras” relative to applications of third party,
    • les small “will extras” relative to functionalities of the computer (volume, battery),
    • les small “will extras” relative to functionalities of the operating system (network, international, change of user, etc),
    • le finely Spotlight (since Mac OS X 10.4), alone finely fixes, located at the extreme right-hand side of the single zone of menu, and which makes it possible to carry out recherches.
The advantage of such a concept appears most clearly during the use of applications “to documents” (word processing, modification of images, pieces of music, etc), where very often each window has the same menus, from where a loss of space to the considerable screen. However, the concept can reject those which sail quickly between several applications and which have a need important to reach alternatively the menus of then other, although the shortened keyboard are of an invaluable help in this type of situation.

The Dock and Exposed

Articles complets : the Exposed Dock,
The Dock is intended to reach quickly the applications and favorite files of the user. It also contains the applications in the course of execution (which are characterized by a black triangle under their icon), and the Basket. Combined with Exposé, which is intended to sail quickly between many windows, the Dock offers a real alternative to the bar of the tasks of Windows.

Notable characteristics

Windows

The management of the windows by Aqua is distinguished on many points from that from the other interfaces graphiques :
  • to close a window does not close the application (if this one is an application “to documents”, like a Navigateur Web or a word processing, for example)   ;
  • the button to maximize inevitably does not have the behavior to which one could attendre : it increases the window so that all its contents are visible. According to the contents, it may be thus that the maximized window does not occupy the totality of the écran  ;
  • the button of closing and the “icon proxy” of a window change appearance (a black spot appears in its center for the first, and second is attenuated) if the document which this window contains is modified and was not enregistré  yet; ;
  • the “icons proxy” appear in the bar of title of the windows of applications “to documents”. They can be clicked (with the key orders, to reveal the position of the document in the tree structure of the files), or moved (to copy a document in the course of modification in another application by simple slip-deposited, for example)   ;
  • of the “drawers” can appear on the sides of the windows to bring an additional information (the drawer of ICal indicates in particular the date and the hour of the selected event, for example).

Dialog boxes and of alarm

A certain coherence is required through the dialog boxes and of alarm. In addition Apple insists to make so that simplicity is of setting in all the applications of third-partie :
  • the dialog boxes of opening and recording of files are managed by Mac OS X, and are thus identical whatever the application which them utilize  ;
  • the buttons being able to involve a loss of data (“not to record”, for example) must be isolated other boutons  ;
  • alarms must contain a simple message in fat indicating their object, a more complete description, and so possible, buttons of actions containing of the verbs, rather than the simple ones “yes” or “not”.

Graphic effects

Thanks to Quartz and Extreme Quartz, two components of Mac OS X dedicated to posting, this last can use many graphic effects, including on Macintosh little puissants :
  • use of shades instead of the edges for marking well the contour of the windows and the menus  ;
  • the minimization of the windows can be done with the manner of the geniuses aspired by their lampe  ;
  • the change of user is represented by a revolving cube on itself in 3D  : each face of the cube can represent a session différente  ;
  • etc

Others

  • Taken into account of the Law of Fitts, according to which “time to reach a target is a function of the distance and size of this target”, in the provision of the menus, the icons and the zones cliquables.

Popularity

Aqua is undoubtedly one of the elements of Mac OS X which allures more the demanding users on appearance of their Operating system. Even if a certain number of people regard the interface as too “slap-with-the eye”, the considerable number of Web sites, of skins or of icons which more or less discreetly takes again the trademark of Aqua, a relative interest for the latter indicates. It should nevertheless be noted that the emergence of critics to the center even of those which appreciate the interface. Indeed since several updates of Mac OS X, Aqua was seen packed new topics (as for the fifth version of ITunes, or the version “'' Tiger ''” of Mail) which are far from respecting the coherence preached by Apple in its own directives, like made noticed many figures of the world Mac. It is, seems it, in answer to these criticisms that Apple announced to have given up the various existing topics with the only profit of that of iTunes 7, at the time of the last presentation of the future Mac OS X 10.5.

Random links:International American | Cd. Motema Pembe | Juan Francisco Martínez Modesto | Clusterisation (town planning) | Frederic-Guillaume de Mecklembourg-Strelitz | Petits_prés,_Pennsylvanie