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Comment by mwcampbell | Hacker News Reader

> Rounded rectangles: the cornerstone of the internet, of computing, nigh, of civilization.

That isn't wildly exaggerated if this story is true:

https://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?story=Round_Rects_Are_...

You laugh, but actually in the 90s rounded rectangles were a must to portray your site/app as "modern" (and signify you didn't bother to give it basic usability like desktop apps have so you could spare that part for your MVP).

The funny thing is as soon as CSS supported them directly they went out of fashion.

Same thing with gradients in forum design. The moment we could use CSS instead of a gradient handcrafted with a pirated version of Photoshop - gradients stopped being commonly used in forum skins.

I would love to have a CanvasFilter that makes your smooth 24 bit procedurally generated gradients look like they've been error-diffusion dithered to an 8 bit web safe color palette. And with a FatBits option to compensate for retina displays. Now THAT would be fashionable!

> makes your smooth 24 bit procedurally generated gradients look like they've been error-diffusion dithered to an 8 bit web safe color palette

Do you mean the gradient's output should look like it's been put through a risograph printer? I created a CodePen demo a while back which attempts to recreate that sort of effect - https://codepen.io/kaliedarik/pen/RwgwpyG

When it comes to reducing a palette from (potentially) millions of colors down to a set of 8 bit web safe colors - I'm not convinced such a process can generate decent output for a wide range of different inputs. I get much better results by generating a "commonest colors" palette with a minimal distance (in LAB color space) between each selected color to generate the most pleasing dithered output, whereas restricting the palette to web-safe colors limits the output to just a handful of those commonest colors. See an interactive example of the filter here: https://scrawl-v8.rikweb.org.uk/demo/filters-027.html

Oh I wasn't looking for decent output, I LOVE the pixelated error-diffusion dither effect, especially with an ugly garish color map that brings out all the jiggly artifacts. ;)

https://donhopkins.com/home/CAM6/

Oh, nicely done! Trying to code up cellular automata simulations are pretty much guaranteed to push my brains through my nostrils - I've never progressed far beyond classic Conway. Your CAM6 library[1] may be about to steal my weekend from me!

[1] - https://github.com/SimHacker/CAM6

Say that to practically every interface element in iOS, Slack, and WhatsApp! They’re just out of fashion in other parts of the web!

Like triangular wheels are an improvement over square wheels, one less bump!

I just tried the exercise by looking around my office:

Backpack, Wallet, Notebook, Desk, Armrests, Storage cubes, Phone charger, Clothes protector, Blanket

And of course, my Macbook and Iphone.

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