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SGI Releases OpenGL As Free Software

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the let-my-graphics-go dept.

StoneLion writes "Since its release, the OpenGL code that is responsible for 3-D acceleration on GNU/Linux has been running on licenses that were accepted by neither the Free Software Foundation (FSF) nor the Open Source Initiative. Today, however, the FSF has announced that the licenses in question have been rewritten, the problems resolved, and the code freed. Peter Brown, executive director of the FSF, says, 'This represents a huge gift to the free software community.'"

3 of 167 comments (clear)

  1. Big news by mnmn · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm surprised that opengl was never really 'open'. It now makes sense why it wasnt a part of glibc and/or xfree86 until recently.

    The opening of video card drivers and now opengl are major steps in the success of linux on the desktop (and for gamers).

    Just imagine, we can now add opengl to Heretic and Command and Conquer, and it can all still be very much free. I can't wait for when I can port Halflife2 to Linux.

    --
    "Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you." -Nim Chimpsky
  2. Re:The important lesson here is. by JohnFluxx · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I think it depends really.

    In the recent Ubuntu/Mozilla case, both Ubuntu and Fedora had behind-the-scenes quiet negotiations with Mozilla over the EULAs. However Mozilla insisted that it wanted and needed the EULA.

    It wasn't until there was a fairly big uproar about it did Mozilla come back to the table to renegotiate.

    So sometimes the squeaky wheel does get the grease :)

  3. Re:Is OpenGL a player anymore? by ckaminski · · Score: 5, Interesting

    OpenGL has NOT gone the way of the Dodo, and as far as I know, is still kingpin of the 3D visualization world outside the gaming community (CAD/CAM/Modelling).

    OpenGL was never very big in the gaming world either. Quake/HL was a standout in this regard, but most 3D game engines have been very custom, or based on DirectX - DirectX was sort of mandatory once game authors lost direct access to hardware.