OpenGL 4.1 Specification Set to Deliver Enhanced Graphics Performance

[mdriftmeyer]

So what video card can use this spec? I don't think any of the current ones can.

OpenGL 4.x is requires ATi 5000 series or Nvidia 400 and newer series cards.

Just only hit 3.0 on OS X 10.6.3. Several years after 3.0 was released.

Apple still isn't using even 3.1 - 3.4, or 4.0. I can't see the, using 4.1 for another, umm, 2-3 years or even more if they carry on like they are today.

3.4 doesn't exist.

3.1 to 3.3 aren't the hurdle to get over. Getting to 3.0 is the hurdle.

OpenGL 3.3 support is far easier to achieve after going from OpenGL 2.1 to 3.0.

You must be joking. Apple has never cared about games, and have only recently seemed to have aknowledged their anemic graphics support with pressure from Valve and Blizzard. We still don't have full 3.0 support so I doubt we'll see this till 10.8.3. :/

Apple cares about games, on it's iOS platform.

The OS X platform is ramping up it's game support, but after iOS was ready.

A step closer to the iOS-integration into Mac OS X.

I can only dream about having Dashboard replaced by iOS apps floating down the screen. Twitter-client, Facebook-client and some of my internal business apps - right there on my desktop computer

Wrong.

Mac OS X and iOS are different Darwin cores, middle tier and top tier APIs.

 

[zarusoba]

Well then, looking forward to Maya and Mudbox 2020: OpenGL 4.1 should be fully implemented by then.

 

[commander.data]

Just only hit 3.0 on OS X 10.6.3. Several years after 3.0 was released.

Apple still isn't using even 3.1 - 3.4, or 4.0. I can't see the, using 4.1 for another, umm, 2-3 years or even more if they carry on like they are today.

10.6.4 is still not OpenGL 3.0 compliant. I believe all the individual feature extensions are there, but Apple is still missing GLSL 1.30 support.

 

[Frisco]

This means the definitive nail in the coffin of DirectX and all that MS-driven rubbish...OpenGL is here to stay and will deliver the necessary edge that Apple needs as a leading gaming platform...

GO APPLE! MS IS DEAD.

I get and appreciate your sarcasm.

But you are correct--everything works better and faster on Windows.

 

[OrangeSVTguy]

Any lovin' for the 9400m?

 

[MorphingDragon]

So what video card can use this spec? I don't think any of the current ones can.

Any OpenGL4.0 Cards running on Mac OSX and Linux/BSD can.

 

[juicedropsdeuce]

Snow Leopard's only on 3.0. I don't see Apple using 4.1 anytime in the near future. Unless they were holding back waiting for 4.1

Why is Apple so far behind on everything related to computers?

Horrible.

 

[gavriels]

OpenGL 4.x is requires ATi 5000 series or Nvidia 400 and newer series cards.

3.4 doesn't exist.

Yes and no - some of the features announced today require new hardware, but many of the most useful extensions can run on 3.x class hardware as well.

From the PR:

"Lastly, Khronos has simultaneously released a set of ARB extensions to enable as much OpenGL 4.1 core functionality as possible on previous generation GPU hardware; providing maximum flexibility and platform coverage for application developers. "

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

The Khronos Group today announced the release of the OpenGL 4.1 specification, delivering enhancements to the standards that drive high-performance graphics on Mac OS X.

Something about that sentence bugs me. I think it's the "high-performance graphics on Mac OS X" bit. Given Apple has yet to even embrace full "3.0" specifications, you can hardly say OSX has "high performance" anything when it comes to graphics. At the current rate, we can probably expect 3.0 to be adopted by them some time in 2012 and this new 4.1 will probably be added around 2015.

Among the key features in OpenGL 4.1:In addition, a set of extensions has been released to ensure as much backwards compatibility as possible with OpenGL 4.1, allowing significant portions of the core feature enhancements to be applied to previous-generation graphics hardware.

Let's face it. Apple doesn't care about graphics anymore. They don't care about performance anymore. They only care about two things, gadgets and "thin". If anyone here thinks this article has the slightest relevance to Apple, they're kidding themselves because Apple will not adopt it for several OS generations. And it doesn't matter if OpenGL 4.1 itself will support older graphics cards because Apple will NOT update their graphics drivers to add the support regardless. Apple believes if you want a better graphics driver you should buy an entire new computer (and monitor as well since they force you to buy one on all models except the Pro and Mini) to get it. They are now dumping support for machines in the OS that are more than 3 years old. So much for supporting "green". Apple seems to be all for throwing that iMac in the landfill and buy another one. But it now has less mercury so it's all good.

The full OpenGL 4.1
specification is now available for download.

What good is downloading a specification? This makes it sound like you can get 4.1 NOW and you CANNOT. Apple must add it to the operating system and that simply won't happen any time soon. I wouldn't expect 4.1 until the operating system that comes after the next one (next one will get 3.0, which by then will be over 3 years old, which is darn near ancient in technology terms...so much for the "most advanced operating system in the world". ).

Snow Leopard's only on 3.0. I don't see Apple using 4.1 anytime in the near future. Unless they were holding back waiting for 4.1

No it doesn't. Snow Leopard doesn't even have a complete 3.0 specification. It has "most" of the 3.0 extensions, but it is not complete and until it is, a game developer cannot assume anything. Even then, Apple will not add it to regular Leopard and not everyone out there has "upgraded" to the ironically SLOWER "Snow Leopard". My MBP was faster under Leopard and my MIDI drivers worked properly. Somehow Apple manages to screw up every major OS update lately. Tiger was WAY faster than Leopard and Snow Leopard is the slowest OS yet from Apple and it was SUPPOSED to be a "tweak" update!

 

[BenRoethig]

Actually, Snow Leopard has OpenGL 2.1 (Leopard has 2.0), but there are some OGL 3.0 features implemented in 10.6. If Apple could update the GL shading language part of their OpenGL stack, then I think that they would officially have OGL 3.0-level support.

But I wouldn't get too worked up: despite the fact that OpenGL 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.0 and 4.1 are implemented in NVIDIA's Windows 7 drivers, there are zero apps that actually use or require OGL4.0.

There are zero apps that use OpenCL or have support for grand central dispatch, but they're still there. Its about the future. If developers have access to it, they might program for it. If Apple starts to push it to developers in Lieu of DX, it would make it a lot easier to ports games to the Mac.

You must be joking. Apple has never cared about games, and have only recently seemed to have aknowledged their anemic graphics support with pressure from Valve and Blizzard. We still don't have full 3.0 support so I doubt we'll see this till 10.8.3. :/

No, BRLawyer isn't joking. He/she believes it all.

 

[NAG]

No, BRLawyer isn't joking. He/she believes it all.

Could just be a really weird running joke.

Either way I have a slight amount of hope for some sort of improvement due to Blizzard and Valve. I'm not holding my breath but it is at least slightly better than when the only game Macs had was WoW.

 

[REM314]

This just makes me love my newly built PC with DX11 support even more.

 

[vitaflo]

4.1? Wake me when Apple gets around to even getting 3.0 fully supported. And 3.1, and 3.2, and 3.3, and 4.0. Maybe then I'll care about 4.1.

Maybe in 5 years at Apple's pace.

 

[bmb012]

This means the definitive nail in the coffin of DirectX and all that MS-driven rubbish...OpenGL is here to stay and will deliver the necessary edge that Apple needs as a leading gaming platform...

GO APPLE! MS IS DEAD.

You did read the part where it didn't suddenly make games playable on OS X, and isn't even supported by any of available cards, right?

I hope that was sarcasm, or extreme optimism...

 

[kd5jos]

Maybe there is one thing that will speed up adoption...

Okay OsX and iOS are two different things, I already get that. If OpenGL 4.1 were adopted by both, wouldn't that make games that much easier to write cross platform. Yes I know I'm saying that an iOS device would have to have the metal for GL 4.1, but....

Okay, don't flame me, just thinking out loud.

If I was going to do it, the TiVo rumor would be true, I'd build an Apple T.V. that uses GL 4.1, and a bluetooth 2.0 controller, and make the baddest farking game console in existence.

I'd likely go to the competition to include them (see Nintendo). Realistically it's the only one of the big three Apple would have a shot with. I'd use my data center (in the Carolinas) to pump games out that Nintendo produces. Why does Nintendo need to produce a console they'll loose money at anyway? Apple can make a device everyone will buy because it's Apple. Then they'll play their Nintendo games on it. They could run a service just like Steam (buy Steam) like they did with the company that made what iTunes became.

Long and short, Apple would be able to keep control of user experience, Nintendo would gain revenue by not building a device they loose money on, and both companies would make... even more money. I'd benefit because I wouldn't look like a complete dork buying Mario anything at age 36. Well, I take that back, I'd still look like a dork...

 

[DMann]

I get and appreciate your sarcasm.

But you are correct--everything works better and faster on Windows.

Gaming, perhaps.

Everything?

We get and appreciate your sarcasm.

 

[FlagellumDei]

What version of Open GL does apple use? 2.0?? 3.0?? With these new iMacs and rumored better graphics cards, are they finally going to majorly update their OpenGL performance???

I don't see the point to this thread as Apple doesn't care anyway. All I wanna do is play Starcraft 2 on high settings on a core 2 duo and 256 VRAM. C'mon Steve, pull it together.

Apple still uses OpenGL 2.1

 

[macintoshtoffy]

There are zero apps that use OpenCL or have support for grand central dispatch, but they're still there. Its about the future. If developers have access to it, they might program for it. If Apple starts to push it to developers in Lieu of DX, it would make it a lot easier to ports games to the Mac.

Media Encoder CS5 uses MainConcept h264 encoder which takes advantage of OpenCL - it cuts encoding time by a few minutes. Grand Central Dispatch is being taken advantage of by a few Cocoa components so if developers are using those said pieces of technology they get Grand Central free with no work required. From what I understand iOS has extensive integration of Grand Central Dispatch which will make it read for multicore ARM processors in the future. Hopefully we'll see a similar approach taken to Mac OS X with more system components taking advantage of it so that existing apps get the advantage automatically.

 

[giosaccone]

I hope Apple will use it

 

[ajji999]

OpenGL 4.1 Specification Set to Deliver Enhanced Graphics Performance

hi,
If I was going to do it, the TiVo rumor would be true, I'd build an Apple T.V. that uses GL 4.1, and a bluetooth 2.0 controller, and make the baddest farking game console in existence.
thanks to all





regards,
phe9oxis

 

[haravikk]

Just only hit 3.0 on OS X 10.6.3. Several years after 3.0 was released.

Apple still isn't using even 3.1 - 3.4, or 4.0. I can't see the, using 4.1 for another, umm, 2-3 years or even more if they carry on like they are today.

With the improvements to OpenCL they might not be so sluggish, and if backwards compatibility is good enough then it should in theory just be a case of putting in the proper testing. Here's hoping anyway, I'm gonna go investigate this new spec though, as OpenGL has been languishing for an awful long time now.

 

[iBug2]

Why is Apple so far behind on everything related to computers?

Horrible.

Until Windows 7 you couldn't unmount an external drive on Windows and then mount it back.

 

[MacKeeperFanMod]

Apple did their bit in rescuing Open GL from obscurity and the evil empire.

Expect 4.0 to be included in 'Lion' next June WWDC?

 

[DougB541]

You did read the part where it didn't suddenly make games playable on OS X, and isn't even supported by any of available cards, right?

I hope that was sarcasm, or extreme optimism...

Pretty sure he is serious. Has been chanting MS is dead for a while.

Honestly, I'm surprised Microsoft doesn't license Direct X out. I mean, i don't' think gaming is the turning factor for any vast majority of consumers looking at a Mac or PC. But the tools in Direct X have always been great and it would make sense to license those tools to Apple (though i don't think they would take it to be honest).

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

With the improvements to OpenCL they might not be so sluggish, and if backwards compatibility is good enough then it should in theory just be a case of putting in the proper testing. Here's hoping anyway, I'm gonna go investigate this new spec though, as OpenGL has been languishing for an awful long time now.

OpenCL has nothing to do with it. It is just the opposite. It's about using graphics CPUs to do NON-graphics tasks. Updating OpenGL would have been gobs more useful in the near-term than OpenCL which has only niche uses at best. Apple doesn't even make use of Grand Central in their OWN APPS! Final Cut Pro from just a year or so ago uses one thread when rendering a movie here. Ugh.