Wow.  I am starting to think perhaps I should just use it and not
question how it works.  So basically GLX is very important to using
OpenGL in X.  It looks like it performs multiple duties (nice SNL
reference) and is critical to the implementation of hardware accelerated
3d graphics in X.  I am using NVIDIA's drivers on my system, so they do
not use DRI?  Is DRI necessary for hardware accelerated 3d application
in X?  I believe it is built into the newer versions. 

I pulled a number of key things out of here.  GLU, and GLX are both
distributed with XFree86, so there is no need to go searching for
updated GLU and GLX libraries on the internet.  

GLU is a handy little utility library, nothing too fancy there.

There is a scary and fine line between drivers and GLX.


Thanks again,
Sam

-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Jon Leech
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2004 8:09 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [XFree86] OpenGL and XFree86

On Mon, Apr 19, 2004 at 07:07:24PM -0400, Samuel Winchenbach wrote:
> When I installed slackware 9.1 how did I get the GLU library?  Is it
> something that came with XFree?

    Yes. GLU is just a utility library used by apps, that makes OpenGL
calls. There's nothing in there you can't write in your own app.

> Also what is the purpose of GLX, and how did that get on my system?
Is
> it the same thing as Utah-GLX?

    GLX is (a) an API binding OpenGL to X, e.g. letting you setup OpenGL
to draw into X windows (b) an X server extension supporting the API (c)
a wire protocol carrying GLX and OpenGL indirect rendering calls. In
some implementations GLX is also a floor wax and dessert topping.

 
http://www.sgi.com/software/opengl/glandx/intro/section3_3.html#SECTION0
003000000000000000

    Implementations of GLX and the OpenGL driver are relatively closely
related under the hood, and both rely on underlying (invisible to apps)
software layers to support efficient access to the hardware, such as
NVIDIA's resource manager or DRI. Some vendors ship their own GLX
implementation together with their OpenGL driver, others use the GLX
that comes with XFree86.

    Jon Leech
    SGI
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