Talking About EGL In Mesa On Linux

[BlackStar]

Imo "not having to learn gazillion platform-dependent API's" is easier but whatever.
Besides, everyone already used GLUT for interacting with the underlying system with OpenGL. I personally see that OpenVG and the interaction as a bigger thing in EGL than just having yet another platform-independent abstraction for OpenGL|ES.

The GLUT API sucks. It's a toy app used to teach OpenGL but it's not really used outside that. In fact, I don't know a single non-trivial app that uses GLUT (media players, games, whatever).

OpenVG will become interesting once it becomes hardware accelerated. Without that, SVG will eat it for lunch.

I like where this is going! We're on the verge of a post-Windows monopoly, or so it seems

Well, it's not really a monopoly considering that (a) Khronos only publishes specs, not implementations and (b) Khronos is an industry consortium of pretty much everyone sans Microsoft.

The world is rapidly moving towards web-based platforms (gmail, facebook, ...) and non-Windows, closed-wall garden ecosystems. Microsoft won't be left behind if it manages to become agile enough (they will need rapid IE releases and a strong WinMo7 release for that) but they'll likely decrease in importance as time goes by. They will remain strong in the business and gaming segments for the foreseeable future, however.

Linux use will not increase in the desktop. We are facing in the same position as Opera: not enough marketing, "good enough" alternatives and lack of a "killer app/feature". The mobile/smartphone market will probably be divided between Apple, Android and Microsoft, with the rest making up a not-insignificant 20% or so.

[V!NCENT]

Ah OK. So it seems like the OS 'market' seems to move towards all the Khoronis API's to unify, abstract, simplify, empower and standardise a lot of things. It's taking the entire media space hostage (and I like it).

Then Gallium3D is more or less making the graphics drivers FLOSS OS-independant, although on Linux it realy hooks into the system, but OK.

I don't know where all that manpower needs to come from but all this standardisation, coupled with Java for embedded, might as well take over, where there is starting to be a common OS specification (POSIX dejavu) and it everythings blurred.

I like where this is going! We're on the verge of a post-Windows monopoly, or so it seems

[nanonyme]

It's not about making anything "easier", it's about interacting with the underlying OS. The OpenGL specs do not cover this part, which is where EGL comes in.

OpenVG/OpenGL/OpenCL interop is a related but different matter.

Imo "not having to learn gazillion platform-dependent API's" is easier but whatever.
Besides, everyone already used GLUT for interacting with the underlying system with OpenGL. I personally see that OpenVG and the interaction as a bigger thing in EGL than just having yet another platform-independent abstraction for OpenGL|ES.

[BlackStar]

But WM's are not running on embedded systems, so on the desktop it will be mixed with OpenGL. So why EGL there?

On the other hand; EGL replacing GLX isn't so bad.

On embedded systems you use EGL to create an OpenGL context, just as you'd use WGL on Windows and GLX on Unix.

Iirc according to Khronos page EGL isn't just about making OpenGL easier. It also does the same for OpenVG and it makes it possible to even use OpenVG and OpenGL on the same surfaces. (as far as what their add says)

It's not about making anything "easier", it's about interacting with the underlying OS. The OpenGL specs do not cover this part, which is where EGL comes in.

OpenVG/OpenGL/OpenCL interop is a related but different matter.

[nanonyme]

Iirc according to Khronos page EGL isn't just about making OpenGL easier. It also does the same for OpenVG and it makes it possible to even use OpenVG and OpenGL on the same surfaces. (as far as what their add says)

[V!NCENT]

Wayland is using EGL instead of GLX simply because GLX is tied to the X11 API (and Wayland is not running on top of an X server).

But WM's are not running on embedded systems, so on the desktop it will be mixed with OpenGL. So why EGL there?

On the other hand; EGL replacing GLX isn't so bad.

[BlackStar]

@Liam,
Why EGL? You'll end up combining it with OpenGL anyways...

OpenGL is divided in two parts: a cross-platform graphics API (that's OpenGL or OpenGL ES) and various platform-specific libraries (WGL, GLX, AGL, CGL, EGL).

To the cross-platform part OpenGL you need to use the correct platform-specific library to setup an "OpenGL context". This is a painful process, which is why libraries such as GLUT, SDL, GLFW exist.

So where does EGL enter? It was initially conceived as the equivalent of WGL/GLX/etc for embedded systems (OpenGL ES). However, OpenGL ES is slowly gaining momentum on desktop systems: Android/iPhone/etc development environments and WebGL is built on OpenGL ES and EGL. Recent Ati drivers ship EGL and so will Mesa in the future.

Wayland is using EGL instead of GLX simply because GLX is tied to the X11 API (and Wayland is not running on top of an X server).

[V!NCENT]

Hehe, same here. Subtitles make you lazy. If there's something to read I'll read it even if I don't want to. But they are necessary if you don't understand the language or the accent is particularly strong (Brokeback Mountain anyone?). What really is disgusting is dubbing.

There's no dubbing in my country (only those stupid wash stuff commercials). Is dubbing still so strong in Germany?

The only time I found subs to be useful is in Alien 1 on DVD. Sometimes it's just like whispering >.< That realy sucks when you want to keep the volume down in case of explosions (not that ther are any in Alien...). Whoever thought that it was cool to have explosions sound 10 times as loud as the dialogs needs to be shot!

[yotambien]

Hehe, same here. Subtitles make you lazy. If there's something to read I'll read it even if I don't want to. But they are necessary if you don't understand the language or the accent is particularly strong (Brokeback Mountain anyone?). What really is disgusting is dubbing.

[V!NCENT]

Subs are soooooo freaking anoying. When I watch an english movie without subs I usualy don't even notice it. It's only after a while that I think "Oh wait, this is english xD". But with subs it keeps distracting and so I keep looking at it while I don't want to -_-'