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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.uwa.edu.au!disco.iinet.net.au!news.uoregon.edu!arclight.uoregon.edu!tank.news.pipex.net!pipex!lade.news.pipex.net!pipex!dircon!usenet From: ian@five-d.com (Ian Kemmish) Newsgroups: comp.graphics.api.misc,comp.graphics.algorithms,comp.windows.x.i386unix,gnu.misc.discuss,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.development.apps Subject: Re: Freeware community needs 3d library NOW Date: 24 Jun 1996 17:42:05 GMT Organization: At home with Ian Lines: 32 Message-ID: <4qmk1d$98b@newsgate.dircon.co.uk> References: <4qlf04$7pj@guysmiley.blarg.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: eeyore.dircon.co.uk Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: Text/Plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 X-Newsreader: WinVN 0.99.5 Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.graphics.api.misc:614 comp.graphics.algorithms:28885 comp.windows.x.i386unix:20337 gnu.misc.discuss:26679 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:22062 comp.os.linux.development.apps:17971 In article <4qlf04$7pj@guysmiley.blarg.net>, vanevery@blarg.net says... > >Microsoft's umbrella allows 3d accelerator vendors to hide their board >specs behind the Direct3d API. Because Direct3d will be popular, >there is no market incentive for 3d vendors to seek an alternative. Which means that all you have to do is make sure that at some point your own library leads out to the D3D device driver API....> >If the freeware community does not act _fast_, then freeware platforms >such as Linux, FreeBSD, XFree86, GNU, etc. will be forever >crippled as 3d platforms. They will simply never catch up. People currently write device drivers for existing 2D chipsets for these freeware platforms, so the interface details must be available. What makes interfacing to 3D chipsets different? If they're all going to be working to the D3D API, then surely the situation becomes easier, not harder, than at present? And not to put too fine a point on it, MS first announced its 3D API four years ago, when it wasn't going to be compatible with OpenGL.... the chipset manufactuerers didn't jump very quickly then. ============================================================================ Ian Kemmish 18 Durham Close, Biggleswade, Beds SG18 8HZ ian@five-d.com Tel: +44 1767 601 361 Fax: +44 1767 312 006 Info on Jaws and 5D's other products on http://www.five-d.com/5d ============================================================================ `The customer is King, but the proprietor is God'