macOS OpenGL 3.0: Your thoughts?

[Soulstorm]

Well, the release of OpenGL 3.0 left a lot people unhappy, as I keep seeing from users in other forums. I haven't gone deep into OpenGL programming, but it sounds like the fuss is justified.

I think that a little discussion on the matter could prove interesting in this forum. What's your opinion on the matter? Is Microsoft way ahead with Direct3D in terms of ease of use and features? Do you think OpenGL has reached its peak and a downfall is in order sooner or later? With big names such as Apple and nVidia behind OpenGL you think it's strange that they still can't deliver many promised features, even after so many delays on OpenGl 3.0?

I would love to hear thoughts by programmers and not just gamers (although those are welcome, too), that's why I am posting this into the Programming forum.

 

[Cromulent]

First of all, OpenGL 3 and DirectX 10 have pretty much exactly the same features. Second, most games don't use DirectX 10 anyway (I can only think of Crysis that does but there maybe a couple of others), third, the only applications that really do make use of such features are high end CAD / 3D modelers and they were the reason that the much talked about rewrite of OpenGL did not happen.

Now, I would have liked to of seen a simplification of the API because it still has stuff in it which is 15 years old, but that does not mean you can't you use the newer features such as GLSL and VBO's and PBO's.

The only people which have a real right to be upset are graphics card driver developers who still have to support the huge API, including the 15 year old stuff. Most of which has been shifted to the CPU anyway as no serious application makes use of glBegin() and glEnd() style OpenGL.

Basically I'm surprised at the response, sure it wasn't the best news but nothing to get your knickers in a twist over.

 

[Berlepsch]

I had the impression that a lot of the programmer's frustration is related with bad communication from the OpenGL team. They were promising new, exciting features and a modern, clean approach in OpenGL 3.0 about a year ago, and many developers were eager to use it. Since then, the designing team kept absolute silence, leaving everyone in the belief that development was on schedule.

When GL 3.0 was presented a few days ago, instead of the up-to-date framework everyone wanted, it turned out to be mostly an extension of the current 2.x standard with the current generation of hardware in mind.

Had the design team more open about their progress, and warned the community in time, saying "OK folks, we won't make it in time with the 'all new' GL. It will come when it's ready, but for now we will shove in an intermediate release to keep you up with the current GPUs," reactions would have been much milder.

 

[Cromulent]

I had the impression that a lot of the programmer's frustration is related with bad communication from the OpenGL team.

True, but then what they have said is that none of that is going away. All they have said is that they needed to get something out the door now in order to make sure they fully support the new hardware features that are coming along. They have not abandoned it as far as I am aware.

I can understand the frustration at lack of communication, especially when commercial pressures are taken into account but all the talk about dumping OpenGL in favour of DirectX is preposterous.