Jon Leech wrote:
>
> On Thu, Sep 09, 1999 at 11:15:21AM +0100, Bernd Kreimeier wrote:
> > Question: is there any chance to define an implementation
> > level Linux specific *context* standard? An abstraction
> > that covers XFree86 GLX, Glide-based fxMesa, Mesa's GLX
> > emulation, and GGI or SVGA based replacements?
>
> Sure. GLUT or another user-level abstraction layer that sits on top
> of all those layers and exposes some core feature set common to all of
> them.
GLUT is far too heavyweight and does too many cross-platform things
(input handling, timers, menus, etc) that are not strictly necessary for
cross-platform OpenGL.
> > If this is not an outright stupid notion, technically
> > speaking, then this "base" effort would be a unique chance
> > to agree upon such an implementation level standard.
>
> I don't think it's necessarily a stupid notion, although it's harder
> than you are probably thinking and the end result would be useful only
> for fullscreen apps rendering only through OpenGL.
That is why I use GGI, which has a very good abstract context
management system which is not restricted to OpenGL, window vs.
fullscreen, X vs. console, local vs. remote, accelerated vs.
unaccelerated or anything else.
> However, inventing new window system integration APIs is
> *explicitly* not what we're trying to accomplish here. The purpose of
> this proposal is to solve a problem that will soon become a much bigger
> problem: binary and source portability of apps using OpenGL/GLX APIs on
> Linux. Let's stay focused and get this finished.
Well, I can give you binary and source portability of OpenGL apps
_right_ _now_, and at a FAR higher level than the proposal for which
this list was created will do even when it is finished. Use it or not
as you choose.
Jon
