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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!news.cis.okstate.edu!newsfeed.ksu.ksu.edu!news.mid.net!news.sdsmt.edu!nntp.uac.net!uhog.mit.edu!news.kei.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!torn!hone!informer1.cis.McMaster.CA!church.dcss!church.dcss!not-for-mail From: dsantry@church.dcss.McMaster.CA (Douglas Santry) Newsgroups: 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: 4 Jul 1996 14:54:45 -0400 Organization: Computer Science & Systems, McMaster University Lines: 47 Message-ID: <4rh41l$i0j@church.dcss.McMaster.CA> References: <4qlf04$7pj@guysmiley.blarg.net> <4r70t0$2d4@hermes.synopsys.com> <Dtut25.Lx@sypher.com> <4re28n$kmc@news.ecn.bgu.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: church.dcss.mcmaster.ca Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.windows.x.i386unix:20439 gnu.misc.discuss:26941 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:22847 comp.os.linux.development.apps:18437 In article <4re28n$kmc@news.ecn.bgu.edu>, Kenneth Michael Apa <xkma@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu> wrote: >3.) I think we should write LinuxGL. We'll do it in C++. All of the > software houses will love us because C++ cuts development time > and companies like OO anyways. We'll start with a basic > unaccelerated library and go from there. Of course we'll use > ELF shared libraries so that when we make accelerated > versions, you just drop in the proper libs and they'll work > with all your precompiled binaries. I think ease of use is > important. If you make it easy, people will choose it over > faster libraries that are harder to use. Has anyone seen Qt? > It's an Xtoolkit that is real easy to use(www.troll.no). I'd > like do LinuxGL in the same style as Qt. Ease of use will > buy use some time on making it fast. If someone wants to do > some widgets, we could make a complete Xtoolkit with both a > 3D API and Xwidgets. If not, we can just use Qt, wxWindows, > or some other C++ toolkit. Well, first off, I would suggest a name other than LinuxGL for an "open API". The name alone will cause major flame wars. If it is open, then the name shouldn't have an OS in it. Call it FreeGL or whatver to avoid the flame wars. Second, worrying about thing like ELF when you are trying to build an open API is silly. HPUX and the *BSDs don't have ELF support. The platform depenedent stuff should be kept right out of it from the beginning. I like your approach though. Make it easy to use first off to get users and then make it fast to keep them. IT may be a good idea to built it in two parts. A *totally* platform independent graphics engine. Then for every platform supported, an abstract class to inherit from with the methods it will need to turn on a pixel for that enviroment etc. Then the engine will be made to work easily in a full screen envirnment or a windowed env. or a printer or whatver. >I would really like to start development on LinuxGL. If anyone >wants to help out, please email me. I've just started doug@qnx.com for some reason I can't email you. Your host exists but your login doesn't. I tried xkma@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu but it bounced. >Here is the punch line. I'm selling my SGI to get a pentium that runs Linux. Mail me with the model and asking price. DJS