Re: Why code your own library?

[Steve Baker <sjbaker1@airmail.net>]

Ingo Ruhnke wrote:

> For example take another lib, ClanLib, its acctually is on SuSE and
> debian(unstable), RPM's for redhat are also available, there are still
> some distros which don't include it, but that mostly because its still
> under development or the games using it are under develepment, same
> for PLib.

What it takes to get a library on a distro is GAMES.  None of the
distributors has said "Steve: Can we put PLIB on our distro?" they
all said "Steve: Can we put Tux_AQFH on our distro?"...which means
they also have to provide PLIB...ditto for FlightGear. 

> plib is common! tux_tqfh uses it, flightgear uses it, both games are
> impressiv and are some of the best games for linux at the
> moment. So for an 3D game I think using plib would be a good choice.

It's also being used in Majik-3D (which if they can pull it off will
be VERY impressive) - and another game 'that-I-may-not-name'.

> I think a lot of linux users aren't that stupid. A simple './configure
> && make && make install' isn't that difficult. And sooner or later all
> the high level libs and the games using them will be packed and then
> the install throuble would be solved.

It's tempting to write a little X-widget that would have a directory
browser and a button which when pressed would run
'./configure ; make ; make install'...that would put an end to 99% of
those complaints.
 
> > If I make a game using a library where most games will have to
> > download and compile (or totally upgrade their whole system), it
> > won't be as popular as a game that "just runs" out of the box.

I can tell you (from extensive traffic on the Tux_AQFH mailing list)
that BY FAR the biggest problem is with people who didn't install
Mesa 3.0 correctly.  That is largely (IMHO) because it doesn't use
autoconf/automake....that gets fixed in Mesa 3.1.

-- 
Steve Baker                  http://web2.airmail.net/sjbaker1
sjbaker1@airmail.net (home)  http://www.woodsoup.org/~sbaker
sjbaker@hti.com      (work)