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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.rmit.EDU.AU!news.unimelb.EDU.AU!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!news.ysu.edu!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!nerd.apk.net!sed.psrw.com!psinntp !psinntp!howland.reston.ans.net!swrinde!sgigate.sgi.com!mr.net!news.mr.net!news From: Eric Johnson <johnsone@camax.com> 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: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 15:28:36 -0500 Organization: CAMAX Lines: 70 Message-ID: <31CEFA74.728F@camax.com> References: <4qlf04$7pj@guysmiley.blarg.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: fw.camax.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 2.0 (X11; I; HP-UX B.10.01 9000/715) To: "Brandon J. Van Every" <vanevery@blarg.net> Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.graphics.api.misc:654 comp.graphics.algorithms:29049 comp.windows.x.i386unix:20377 gnu.misc.discuss:26760 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:22292 comp.os.linux.development.apps:18131 Brandon J. Van Every wrote: > > The freeware world is in desperate need of a freeware 3d rendering > library that's standard, has essential but not overly-bloated features > for 3d applications, and above all is high-performance. Brandon, I have a feeling your posting will cause a flame-fest, so I'd like to start out noting I'm neither for nor against--I'm just confused. I simply don't understand your desperation. > Why "desperate?" Because as of June 12th, Microsoft has released its > Direct3d API. I guess I don't understand the significance of this Microsoft announcement. Is Linux in direct competition with Windows? If so, then shouldn't 1995's release--backed by more money than the gross domestic product of many nations--of Windows 95 have caused Linux to already be in so dire straights that 3D APIs don't really matter? To me, it seems that Linux isn't really going to make a lot of headway going straight up against the Microsoft juggernaut. Linux excels in other areas than Windows. And yes, Linux fails in many areas where Windows succeeds-- like commercial application availability. Whether this bothers you or not is another issue. > 1) Microsoft is moving very quickly in 3d, whereas the freeware world > is barely limping along. Didn't Microsoft endorse and ship OpenGL a long time ago? So hasn't Microsoft already moved into 3d? > 2) Microsoft will very soon have all 3d hardware accelerator vendors > in its pocket. We already have some PC boards with hardware acceleration for OpenGL here in house. In terms of 3D (and in terms of almost anything else), Microsoft does indeed--and has some quite some time--have all hardware makers in its pockets. Microsoft even has a conference (WinHEC) devoted to this cause. Can you say high-volume platform? The economics just makes sense. If you want hardware vendors to open up and provide information, why not a) ask them and b) if they decline, tell them--nicely--about all the business--real business--they're losing because they won't publish a spec that they likely already have written. Some vendors will go along and some won't. > The freeware world needs a 3d rendering library that does less, is > easier to implement, sits gracefully on top of 3d hardware > accelerators, and takes maximum advantage of them. Aha. I suspect this is your real goal all along. I wish you luck. Have fun, -Eric -- Eric F. Johnson URL: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/efjohnson/ CAMAX Manufacturing Tech., Inc. 7851 Metro Parkway phone: +1 612 854 5300 fax: +1 612 854 6644 Minneapolis, MN 55425 USA email: johnsone@camax.com