OpenGL 1.3 Spec Released

JigSaw writes "The OpenGL Architecture Review Board announced the new OpenGL 1.3 specification (1.8 MB pdf). In OpenGL 1.3, several additional features and functions have been ratified and brought into the API's core functionality. New features include Cube map texturing, multisampling, new texture modes that provide more powerful ways of applying textures to rendered objects, compressed texture framework etc. Let's all hope that GL can catch up with Direct3D now, as with the latest DirectX8, Direct3D has done some big steps towards feature-set, speed and even non-bloatiness when it comes to coding for it, while OpenGL 1.2 was released more than 2 years ago and it did not offer as much."

Re:A little bit offtopic but...

[entrigant]

Ahhh transgaming, another big idea with a very inactive CVS.

I'm can't wait

[briggsb]

Until the specs support this kind [bbspot.com] of functionality.

Re:The funny bit...

[frankmu]

yeah, my mother-in-law likes to play freecell on her computer at 640X480 on the 17 inch monitor that i bought her

Open GL is Dying

[Shoeboy]

We should all keep in mind this simple truth: OpenGL is dying.

You don't need to be Kreskin to predict OpenGL's future. The hand writing is on the wall: OpenGL faces a bleak future. In fact there won't be any future at all for OpenGL because OpenGL is dying. Things are looking very bad for OpenGL. As many of us are already aware, OpenGL continues to lose market share. Red ink flows like a river of blood.

Let's keep to the facts and look at the numbers.

Famed OpenGL using developer Jon Carmack states that there are 7000 delopers that are users of OpenGL. How many users of DirectX are there? Let's see. The number of OpenGL versus DirectX posts on Usenet is roughly in ratio of 1 to 4. Therefore there are about 7000*5 = 35000 DirectX users. OpenGL on Linux posts on Usenet are about half of the volume of OpenGL on Windows posts. Therefore there are about 700 developers using OpenGL on Linux. A recent article put OpenGL on *BSD at about .008 percent of the graphics library delopment market. Therefore there are (7000/100)*.008 = .56 OpenGL on FreeBSD developers. This is one guy working in his spare time and consistent with the number of OpenGL on FreeBSD Usenet posts.

Due to the troubles of SGI, abysmal sales and so on, SGI is getting out of the graphics business and becomming a low end intel box vendor. SGI is still dying and the corpse of OpenGL will soon be turned over to another charnel house.

All major surveys show that OpenGL has steadily declined in market share. OpenGL is very sick and its long term survival prospects are very dim. If OpenGL is to survive at all it will be among games hobbyists, dabblers, and dilettantes. OpenGL continues to decay. Nothing short of a miracle could save it at this point in time. For all practical purposes, OpenGL is dead.

--Shoeboy

Re:Open GL is Dying

[Mongoose]

Hahaha, if you believe those trolls actually produce product then I want to sell you some 'warm' land in russia. APIs don't have market share or profits. That's the problems with kids raized on MS products. They ask "Who is the marker leader?" when they should ask "Who has the best solution?".

Please grow up, before you anger the real developers.

The Best Part about this is....

[whiteranger99x]

More realistic porn action in our favorite 3d shooters :D

Re:The funny bit...

[Kwikymart]

So, you mean all gamers are going to become valley girls in the future?