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From: vanevery@blarg.net (Brandon J. Van Every)
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
Followup-To: comp.graphics.misc
Date: 28 Jun 1996 18:50:34 GMT
Organization: Blarg! Online Services 206/441-9109
Lines: 37
Message-ID: <4r19hq$jgb@guysmiley.blarg.net>
References: <4qlf04$7pj@guysmiley.blarg.net> <4qmk1d$98b@newsgate.dircon.co.uk> <31D09BA1.705E3294@lambert.org> <31d25656.0@news.uni-konstanz.de>
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Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.graphics.api.misc:667 comp.graphics.algorithms:29109 comp.windows.x.i386unix:20390 gnu.misc.discuss:26791 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:22388 comp.os.linux.development.apps:18182
Pascal Gienger (gienger@iris.rz.uni-konstanz.de) wrote:
: Terry Lambert (terry@lambert.org) wrote:
: : Ian Kemmish wrote:
: : ] 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?
: :
: : Actually, the difference is that many 3D capable hardware vendors
: : are not publishing programming information, except under NDA.
: Why shouldn't hardware vendors give away programming specs of
: their hardware?
: It's very idiot to produce a hardware for, say, 90% of computers
: (Windows playtools), and to prevent perhaps 5% of computer
: users to use this hardware also by giving the chance to write
: a library and/or device driver for that. I don't think a
: vendor is against raising his/her sells...
This has been argued many times, in many ways. Personally, I think
there are plenty of good business reasons for some vendors not to give
away their specs. But that is not important for the present
discussion. All that matters, is that hardware vendors _DO_ keep
their specs proprietary, and we have to identify at least one that
doesn't. Would people mind checking up on the S3 ViRGE thing,
mentioned in another post?
Followups directed to comp.graphics.misc.
Cheers,
--
Brandon J. Van Every | Check out Free3d, my 100% efficient, 100% portable
| 3d lib, at <http://www.blarg.net/~vanevery>.
3d Computer Graphics |
C++ UNIX X11 WinNT | E-mail: vanevery@blarg.net