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Questions about Android UI performance


Guest deksman2

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Guest deksman2

We know that Android's ability to draw the UI is being done on CPU alone (software mode) and that the GPU has no part in it (unlike Apple's iPhone which does this by default).

Hardware-wise, the ZTE Blade is essentially on par with iPhone 3GS, so we know that the Blade is capable of behaving like the iPhone performance-wise, but that lack of HW acceleration with GUI drawing is hampering everything (though I seem to recall reading that it's not the ONLY factor).

When I tried Modaco r12 ROM, the scrolling through the menus and application drawer was practically seamlessly smooth.

Even web browsing was very smooth.

So, what made Modaco's r12 rom special compared to all other 2.2 rom's and majority of CM7 rom's?

The only comparable performance-wise GUI (latest) rom I can think of at the moment is Psyloid's Gingerbread Blue v5 (which has been removed from the forums).

Of course, in certain areas the 'smoothness' blocks out a bit, but 95% of the time it's behaving really good.

However, as good as it is, it's still not as smooth as iPhone.

Is it possible to have the gpu draw the GUI (application drawer, menus, web browsing, etc...) in Android 2.3 and thus increase the overall performance?

Unless of course Psyloid and Modaco did that already.

What about Honeycomb or future versions of Android?

Will they support HW acceleration regarding the GUI, and will the new versions ever work on the Blade (given the cpu we currently have)?

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Guest targetbsp

Hardware accelerated UI is available in all the roms since we got Froyo. It's personal preference of the rom dev whether it's enabled or disabled by default though.

If this post mostly refers to CM7, it's because the 2d graphics library is screwed up until we get the source for gingerbread from ZTE. Which is hopefully this month.

Gingerbread Blue is based on GSF and it's basically that which we're awaiting the source for.

Edited by targetbsp
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Guest t0mm13b

Hardware accelerated UI is available in all the roms since we got Froyo. It's personal preference of the rom dev whether it's enabled or disabled by default though.

If this post mostly refers to CM7, it's because the 2d graphics library is screwed up until we get the source for gingerbread from ZTE. Which is hopefully this month.

Gingerbread Blue is based on GSF and it's basically that which we're awaiting the source for.

Forgive my ignorance but where exactly did GSF come from - AFAIK there was a few .35 leaks lying around so which one was it?

(Have quite a few .35 leaked roms and do not know which is which!)

Edited by t0mm13b
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Guest t0mm13b

Errm... in that case... I'm even more ignorant. :D I didn't know there was more than one lol.

lol! :D :lol:

Ahhh well, I have a few filenames V880_Leak, GingerBread_Leak, ZTE_2_3_4r7 leak... the list is endless and quite simply do not recall which thread I got them in....

sigh

The thing is - a lot of threads here, have links to multiuploaders etc and its difficult to track down the thread that has those leaks...

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Guest unrandomsam

lol! :D :lol:

Ahhh well, I have a few filenames V880_Leak, GingerBread_Leak, ZTE_2_3_4r7 leak... the list is endless and quite simply do not recall which thread I got them in....

sigh

The thing is - a lot of threads here, have links to multiuploaders etc and its difficult to track down the thread that has those leaks...

The actual leak was -

GB_blade_signed_061311.zip

(The hint is that it is still odexed).

(Unless there is another I am not aware of which is quite possible).

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Guest deksman2

Hardware accelerated UI is available in all the roms since we got Froyo. It's personal preference of the rom dev whether it's enabled or disabled by default though.

If this post mostly refers to CM7, it's because the 2d graphics library is screwed up until we get the source for gingerbread from ZTE. Which is hopefully this month.

Gingerbread Blue is based on GSF and it's basically that which we're awaiting the source for.

I see...

But, why do I keep reading that it's not the case?

I mean, HW acceleration enabled on the blade I usually results in better performance in games. For the browser scrolling and UI in general, this is NOT included.

Edited by deksman2
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I'm still wondering what this so-called "UI acceleration" is about. Obviously, rendering is not accelerated. This is still done by Skia, which is completely software-based in Android 2.x. I assume the improved "UI acceleration" is all about compositing (through SurfaceFlinger) not only root surfaces in hardware, but subsurfaces as well. Can anyone shed some light onto this?

What exactly do we need from ZTE to get this kind of acceleration into CM? I'm otherwise very satisfied with CM7.1 on the Blade, the only regression from 2.2 is the stuttery UI.

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Guest cartierv

"We know that Android's ability to draw the UI is being done on CPU alone (software mode) and that the GPU has no part in it (unlike Apple's iPhone which does this by default)"

I went into Currys the other day and had a go of a bunch of Android tablets, some of them were dual core I think.

I then had a go of an Apple iPad.

There isn't even a serious comparison. Android is nonsense compared to Apple anything. It was nonsense 9 months ago when I first read this forum and downloaded Jap Jellyfish 7, it's nonsense today.

Android/Linux still thinks Graphics hardware is something to do with X11.

I don't know, but graphics and GPU use is foundational in all apple systems. Apple had a lot of fuss about it years back in OS X, Quartz Extreme and so on, i imagine on the iPhone it's the same case.

It's not a bolted on extra somewhere. It's a foundational part of the pipeline, that handles compositing and other things as someone mentioned. And i believe Apple at the time showed how they put a bunch of stuff on the card that would normally be handled by CPU.

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Guest gsam101

Android/Linux still thinks Graphics hardware is something to do with X11.

Well, if you didn't know, Android has never used X11. And you can have a fast X11 desktop, just try any Linux distro.

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Guest deksman2

I think the main point is, if the GPU was handling UI drawing, as well as scrolling the menus, browsing, pinch/zoom, and all 2d based aspects, then the ZTE Blad would in effect become just as good as iPhone 3GS in performance (seeing how their hardware is identical).

Yes, one can have very smooth scrolling and all via software rendering if the ROM was properly optimized, however, that doesn't happen most of the time for one thing and for the other, the GPU is much more efficient at it regardless of how you put it, plus it would draw less power by comparison.

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Guest ufoman

I'm still wondering what this so-called "UI acceleration" is about. Obviously, rendering is not accelerated. This is still done by Skia, which is completely software-based in Android 2.x. I assume the improved "UI acceleration" is all about compositing (through SurfaceFlinger) not only root surfaces in hardware, but subsurfaces as well. Can anyone shed some light onto this?

What exactly do we need from ZTE to get this kind of acceleration into CM? I'm otherwise very satisfied with CM7.1 on the Blade, the only regression from 2.2 is the stuttery UI.

You bring back my faith in humanity, dear sir...

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Guest flshg

I think the main point is, if the GPU was handling UI drawing, as well as scrolling the menus, browsing, pinch/zoom, and all 2d based aspects, then the ZTE Blad would in effect become just as good as iPhone 3GS in performance (seeing how their hardware is identical).

Yes, one can have very smooth scrolling and all via software rendering if the ROM was properly optimized, however, that doesn't happen most of the time for one thing and for the other, the GPU is much more efficient at it regardless of how you put it, plus it would draw less power by comparison.

Granted Apple have put a whole lot of effort into the look and feel of their products, and it certainly works in bringing the masses to their stable. However, we serious technology users can see past the slick and glitz and simply appreciate the greater power and flexibility that Android brings :D

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Guest deksman2

Flexibility yes, though you can do the same by jailbreaking an iPhone.

:D

Except for the premise the iPhone is much more expensive by comparison.

Google dropped the ball with true HW acceleration. It's the only beef I have with them to be honest, and their excuses are idiotic at best.

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