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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?
It should be OpenGL vs. Direct3D
DirectX is an entire API for 2dD graphics, sound, input, and probably a dozen others (DirectNetwork! DirectSideScroller! etc).
Direct3D is what sucked so much. OpenGL would've been the obvious replacement. The industry even petitioned Microsoft to drop Direct3D in favor of OpenGL. They of course refused. They even had some marketing chick come out and try to say that OpenGL was inferior because of "procedural overhead" (as OpenGL is a procedural API).
So, Direct3D slowly gets better, everyone else suffers because of Microsoft's bullshit.
OpenGL plus OpenAL plus SDL on Linux is probably enough to make a great game.
Uh, the individual in question that you're calling a 15 year old, is none other than John Carmack, head coder at Id software. Unless John's id got hacked, the post is very likely to be from him- it's in his posting style by the way.
He's developed all these cool games, you know like Quake and DooM. He drives this nice Ferrari (I know, I've seen up close and personal at the parking lot of the office building Id's currently at.). He's developed code that is used by the Open Source community (Utah-GLX has code that he developed in it...). He's no script kiddie posting lame crap on here.
While I know it's highly unlikely that you're going to do it (Posting that diatribe as an Anon Coward is really being a coward...) you owe the man an apology.
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
My, you're kind of a whiney pussy, aren't you?
Director of Implementation OmniComm
Man, what are you STUPID! ROFLASC! The man you just called a "15 year old kid who's only experience with real game programming is writing dupe macros for Ultima Online" is one of the greatest gaming programmers that ever lived! You'd better feel really stupid now, AC!
HAHAHAHA! It's just SO funny how you made a fool out of yourself!