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0 pointsxxs2y ago0 comments

> It's the actual system setting that instructs apps to use dark mode.

Dark mode being use as a short hand - pretty much all "standard" controls used to have colors and font size defined. So if an application wants to draw text - it'd use the text area background and color, likewise for buttons. Being replaced with a single boolean configuration option is just a lazy downgrade. Also I don't quite see it as an OS function - in the end it just reads the registry.

Vulcan was supported on Win7 (along w/ the raytracing) and oddly enough Win7 had a port of DX12 by Microsoft [0]. It was quite an arbitrary decision to prevent Win7 & 8 to run DX12. I suppose one of the issues is that GPU drivers (esp. AMD) do not support Win7 (or 8)

[0]: https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/directx-12-windows-7/

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alkonaut2y ago

The fact remains there was no system setting for dark mode before Win 10 that apps could use to ask “does this user prefer dark mode”. Now it exists in windows as well as iOS, MacOs etc so its a pretty established standard by now to have that as a Boolean system wide (and that system apps follow it while third party apps can query it of course).

Even if dx12 is an arbitrary restriction to only work in w10 that’s beside the point. It’s a feature of win10 no matter how arbitrary.

tremon2y ago

there was no system setting for dark mode before Win 10 that apps could use to ask “does this user prefer dark mode”

There was no need for apps to ask that. Previously, apps would just say "draw this dialog box in the user's preferred color scheme" and it would work fine. The only reason this dark mode hint is necessary is because too many apps started ignoring the Windows system color scheme and doing their own thing.

alkonaut2y ago

Exactly. Apps ignore anything but a “use dark mode yes or no” option, so the improvement was to add it. Tiny from windows perspective, huge for users (since the apps now actually respect it).

The difference to windows users is that you change a switch and apps actually change whereas before you couldn’t do that.

It wasn’t Microsoft’s fault before and it isn’t they who updated the apps now so they don’t get credit for that. But the fact remains you basically couldn’t use dark mode before and now you can.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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alkonaut2y ago

Even if dx12 is an arbitrary restriction to only work in w10 that’s beside the point. It’s a feature of win10 no matter how arbitrary.

tremon2y ago

there was no system setting for dark mode before Win 10 that apps could use to ask “does this user prefer dark mode”

alkonaut2y ago

Exactly. Apps ignore anything but a “use dark mode yes or no” option, so the improvement was to add it. Tiny from windows perspective, huge for users (since the apps now actually respect it).

The difference to windows users is that you change a switch and apps actually change whereas before you couldn’t do that.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse