Cairo: A New Level of Power in the Linux World（cairolinux）
Linux has grown larger, faster, and more powerful in recent years, due to its open source nature and its ability to be tailored to the user’s individual needs. This is seen particularly in the availability of applications written for Linux, including user-friendly window managers like KDE and GNOME, and powerful graphics libraries like Cairo. Cairo is a 2D vector graphics library with a rich set of features and design capabilities that offers developers added control, flexibility, and speed.
Cairo is unique in that it is a software library that provides the programming paths and the graphic server to give developers a great deal of freedom. Cairo allows the user to create vector graphics with a scalable resolution, as well as being possible to create them in hardware independent language, and have these images scale to any size without loss of quality. The library also supports features such as alpha blending, wide range of antialiasing options, path primitives, and gradient patterns that can be applied to vector images.
Cairo also has its OpenGL capabilities which makes it suitable for creating accelerated visuals. This gives programmers the capability to add overlaying effects, custom fonts, and depth to their applications. Despite having its own library, as another noteworthy factor, Cairo communicates well with a number of other graphic libraries because it supports several Windows APIs such as GDI, GDI+, and Direct2d. Developers are now able to create cross-platform graphics that can run on various operating systems with the same quality results.
Cairo is an open source library and is therefore free of cost. It has been installed in various low cost devices such as home routers and small server computers, which makes it an attractive option for developers who are looking for a cost effective and versatile means to design graphics for their applications. As such, Cairo has come to prominence in the Linux community, as it can work within Linux’s Open Source guidelines and deliver powerful graphics capabilities.
Getting started with Cairo is straightforward. The Cairo library can be installed directly onto your existing Linux system or embedded in a web browser. The open source environment allows developers to take advantages of the many features Cairo provides, such as creating vector graphics, hardware acceleration options, and the ability to link to other libraries.
In conclusion, Cairo is a powerful graphics library that Linux developers can leverage to create high quality graphics with speed and flexibility. The fact that it is an open source library and highly compatible with many existing libraries makes it attractive to developers looking to develop applications that run on Linux. The numerous features and support for many different window APIs only further enhance Cairo’s appeal.
