News - Khronos Group announces OpenGL 3.2

[HEXUS]

Latest update for the cross-platform graphics API now available to download.

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[Platinum]

If this can enable D3D games to be ported to no Windows OS's then im all for it, Gaming is the only reason I use Windows and I suspect this is the same for a lot of people.

[Grey M@a]

If this can enable D3D games to be ported to no Windows OS's then im all for it, Gaming is the only reason I use Windows and I suspect this is the same for a lot of people.

Won't happen as far to many devs use the D3D and the DirectX API's for controls, networking etc as its easier. Developing a game in OGL and DX isn't viable. OGL missed their time to take hold, they had the likes of iD on board and Dynamix all pushing it back in the day and even now, iD is slowly using it less or not at all now I like OGL, a dream to program for but with the new DX10, DX is a lot easier these days to.

[nightkhaos]

The problem is that Microsoft has no legal recourse to have to provide the Direct X standard to it's competitors (read Apple and Linux), because it technically does not hold a monoploy in the market. Not least because of companies like Transgaming, who make it appear as if there is no monoploy for the market. If Transgaming did not exsist, there would be legal precident for the case, but even then it might get thrown out because gamers have the ability to switch to another platform (read, consoles).

And the gaming companies have no clear advantage to using OpenGL over DirectX as the hardware vendors support the DirectX shader models.

The situation is at a statemate. If OpenGL release something gamechanging in their next OpenGL release then we, as gamechanging implies, the game may change, but until then, we have a Status Quo.

[latrosicarius]

Won't happen as far to many devs use the D3D and the DirectX API's for controls, networking etc as its easier. Developing a game in OGL and DX isn't viable. OGL missed their time to take hold, they had the likes of iD on board and Dynamix all pushing it back in the day and even now, iD is slowly using it less or not at all now I like OGL, a dream to program for but with the new DX10, DX is a lot easier these days to.

i don't think that's accurate at all. There are plenty of options for developing a game outside of DirectX: http://wiki.gamedev.net/index.php/Libraries

And that's not even considering the fact that you can program directly for Win32 and WinSock for kb/mouse input & networking respectively.

The point is, that DirectX doesn't necessarily have a stranglehold on developers. The main reason why developers use DirectX is because it is EASY to program. Quick. The Direct3D is a higher-level API than openGL, which means there are many methods/functions already in place to create the kinds of on-screen rendering effects you want. However, anything you can do in DX, you can also do in openGL --- only that you will have to create the code yourself. Yes it's lower-level, but if you are skilled with it and know what you're doing, you can potentially create effects that are very specialized to your particular game, not a general function; and that may allow you to end up with an faster-running executable overall.

Of course large game developers don't care much about that; they just want to pump crap out to the market to sell as fast as possible.