GLX_ARB_create_context_no_error Support Lands In Mesa 19.1

Mesa 19.1 has added support for the GLX extension to create an OpenGL / OpenGL ES context that doesn't generate errors -- assuming the driver supports the likes of KHR_no_error. For applications/games acquiring their GL/GLES context in this no-error mode, it can yield possible performance benefits.

After floating around the mailing list for many months (well, almost two years!), GLX_ARB_create_context_no_error support has landed into the Mesa GLX code for next quarter's 19.1 release.

GLX_ARB_create_context_no_error is just about allowing a context to be created without the error handling enabled, assuming the OpenGL driver supports KHR_no_error, which is a requirement as of OpenGL 4.6 and that no-error extension is supported by all the prominent Mesa drivers.

The KHR_no_error mode is about being able to disable validation/error handling code in the OpenGL drivers as an effort to reduce CPU overhead rather than always keeping that handling present, which is the default behavior in an OpenGL world. But should an application/game/compositor have any OpenGL error when in the no-error mode, undefined behavior can occur -- so the extension is mainly useful for production-ready code seeking potential (small) performance benefits and possible power-savings depending upon the graphics platform.