Could CoreGraphics Be Wrong?

I’ve always held CoreGraphics (Quartz) on Mac OS X in the highest regard. It’s an excellent drawing API. But a while back when I did the canvas implementation for Konfabulator, I noticed what I believe to be an error in their compositing modes. This, along with gdiplus lacking some necessary features, forced me to move to Cairo for our Canvas object.

The bottom line is that if you compare the CG compositing modes (currently only exposed via Safari’s canvas) with those of Cairo you’ll notice some differences. Compare this link on Safari and then on Firefox. There is a known issue with Cairo’s ‘darken’ mode. Ignore that one for now.

Instead, let’s focus on one in particular: destination-atop.

Note that on Safari it yields the same result as destination-over. As far as I can tell, this is wrong. When the circle is drawn, all pixels outside of the circles influence should be cleared. This is what cairo does. Otherwise, what’s the point of the different mode?

This all tells me that Quartz is wrong, which to be honest shocks the hell out of me. If I’m wrong, please let me know and link me to some corroborating evidence.

Update: I’ve since learned new information and decided Quartz is right after all.