Unfortunately libjpeg-turbo 2.1 beta incurred an even larger funding deficit than the VGL EGL back end incurred, so at the moment, I can't afford to do any more pro bono work. I'm already 60 hours in the hole on the VGL 3.0 release, and it will probably take another 30-40 hours to document the EGL back end, address bugs reported by the community, and put out the release. If I can't secure any specific funding for that labor, then I will have to borrow against the VirtualGL/TurboVNC General Fund for 2021/2022, which refreshes in the May timeframe. That would put VirtualGL in the same bad situation that libjpeg-turbo is currently in-- getting so far ahead of the general funding in order to put out a major release that it will take more than a year to catch up. TurboVNC is staring down a similar barrel, since it will likely require another 100+ hours to finish TurboVNC 3.0 without major feature regressions.
I really appreciate the four organizations that have funded the development of the EGL back end thus far, as well as the individuals who have contributed money and testing labor. With the exception of one organization that wished to remain anonymous, the others have been given credit at https://virtualgl.org/About/Sponsors and will also be listed as release sponsors in the VGL 3.0 release notes, once the release is available. But at the moment, the earliest that the beta is likely to land is May, barring an additional infusion of cash. Sorry the news is not better. I went into debt in 2018 because of the pro bono labor necessary to release libjpeg-turbo 2.0, VirtualGL 2.6, and TurboVNC 2.2 all in the same year. I was expecting an OSS grant for libjpeg-turbo in 2020 that did not emerge, so I ended up with a large funding deficit on libjpeg-turbo 2.1 beta. Thus, I'm having to slow-walk VirtualGL 3.0 and TurboVNC 3.0 in order to avoid a repeat of 2018. I am attempting to secure retroactive funding for libjpeg-turbo 2.1 beta, and if that comes through, I might be in a better position to speculate on the VGL/TurboVNC 3.0 releases, but right now, there isn't much I can do. I can't release the EGL back end without documentation, and I can't afford to write the documentation for free right now. VirtualGL and TurboVNC really need another 200 hours/year of general funding in order to be sustainable, and libjpeg-turbo really needs another 100 hours/year. In the long term, if the funding situation does not stabilize, then the only other option I see for the continued health of these projects is for them to be acquired by a larger organization. That would mean that the projects would be subject to that organization's agenda, but the alternatives right now are increasingly less palatable. There are a lot of things that these projects need in order to move forward, and right now, the primary impediment is lack of money. DRC On 9/11/20 3:24 PM, Florian Feldhaus wrote: > Thanks for the update. I’m looking forward to the release and would be glad > if more companies and people would contribute to the VirtualGL funding! > > Keep up the great work > Florian > >> Am 10.09.2020 | KW 37 um 23:06 schrieb DRC <[email protected]>: >> >> The feature is currently 60 hours over funding, and I haven't even >> started on the documentation yet. I need to break away for a bit to >> work on a funded development project for libjpeg-turbo 2.1, both because >> I need to secure that revenue and also because VirtualGL 3.0 beta blocks >> on libjpeg-turbo 2.1 beta. Also, that will give others in the community >> a chance to test the EGL back end with their favorite applications. VGL >> 3.0 can probably go into beta after libjpeg-turbo 2.1 beta is released. >> The timeframe for that is "as soon as I can get it done." >> >> On 9/10/20 3:26 PM, Florian Feldhaus wrote: >>> Now that the VirtualGL EGL backend was successfully implemented (really >>> great work!), can we please get an update on the plans for the VirtualGL >>> 3.0 release (or whichever release the EGL backend will be available with)? >>> >>> Thank you very much >>> Florian >>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VirtualGL User Discussion/Support" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/virtualgl-users/008965ce-86a7-2472-c7c2-e75a54d6197c%40virtualgl.org.
