--- Matt Sealey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > We need a low-level "kernel" graphics API (much like Windows > has, although Windows favours microkernels with high-level > kernel functionality, rather than monolithic kernels with > user-level functionality.. the two philosophies are at odds) > which can perform and accelerate the expected functionality of > everything from router to PDA, past desktop to display of > remote-served apps.
I'm not proposing a new kernel graphics API. Instead I am proposing that the primary user space graphics API be OpenGL. This make no comment on what the kernel API would look like. In fact I would expect that there will be many variations on the kernel API. The proposal is simply that the OpenGL API becomes the primary user space API for programming the graphics hardware. This does not mean that X is dead. xserver is in the middle of implementing xlib and render on top of the OpenGL drawing API. OpenGL would be used to replace XAA in the current XFree system. All existing X apps won't notice the change except that drawing gets faster. Some points in favor of OpenGL as the primary user-space graphics API 1) accelerated graphics hardware is designed to accelerate OpenGL 2) it is standardized and controlled by the ARB, OpenGL is well designed. 3) free implementations exist 4) it is taught in schools 5) books on it are widely available 6) It is higher level than XAA. This provides more room for hardware integration over time. For example filters. 7) It can run on 2D hardware - software mesa 8) It can be made tiny - OpenGL-ES is 100K and it is shipping in cell phones 9) Key vendors - ATI/Nvidia already own OpenGL drivers Try making a list like this for other solutions like directfb or kgi and see how they compare. ===== Jon Smirl [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Yahoo! Messenger. http://messenger.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------------------------------- This SF.Net email is sponsored by the new InstallShield X. >From Windows to Linux, servers to mobile, InstallShield X is the one installation-authoring solution that does it all. Learn more and evaluate today! http://www.installshield.com/Dev2Dev/0504 -- _______________________________________________ Dri-devel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/dri-devel