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What is Happening with OpenGL?
Trapped In Windows Hell asks: "I was just at the local game store looking for a new game, and I noticed the absolute lack of ANYTHING other than DirectX games. Where has OpenGL gone, and what does this mean for games on GNU/Linux? If DirectX is so hard to program in, so clunky to use, and limits the game to being sold on only one OS, WHY do so many programmers use it? It seems logical (to me, at least) that programming as portably as possible, as simply as possible, and using standards where possible, leaves a lot more sales options open for the future... and DirectX seems to close all options *but one*." OpenGL use in Windows gaming has decreased dramatically in favor of the use of DirectX which is improving with each release. Will OpenGL continue to mature on the Windows platform (which arguably is the platform that drives most of the mainstream demand for graphics) or will it continue to stagnate as game and driver developers concentrate on the offerings from Microsoft?
Well most popular games are ported to the Mac eventually (call it the other 7.5%, although it's probably higher than that for the home market).
When you have a game that the publisher knows is going to be a big hit, like say Quake 3, it probably makes financial sense to build a portable engine up front and release simultaniously on Windows and Mac.
The problem is that most games aren't sure hits at all - something like 90% of titles lose money, in which case additional portability/porting costs are pointless.
Whenever I hear the word 'Innovation', I reach for my pistol.
Because most of those 8% dual-boot Windows to play games, and most of the ones who don't are the sort who don't want to play games anyway. Porting to Linux might get you a 0.5% to 2% sales increase, judging by previous ported games, which simply isn't worth the cost.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Just droppin in to say that if that reply to the Carmack post is really humour, then it's a sad sad world we live in. All you guys who find this post funny really need to see a doctor or something, it's just plain dumb.