Re: OpenGL+GLUT the future

[Xavier Plasencia <xavierp@motiva.com>]

I just want to add, I really like this idea.
Extending GLUT would be very usfull.  Of coures, writting a 2d
layer ontop of OpenGL is not really extending GULT, but for the 
sake of simplicity lets prettend it does.

Such enhancments would be nice.

[[THE UI]]
I really think something lie PUI, written but Steven B.(former GUI
Team Lead) is the right way of extending GLUT.  This libary
is only used for ceating buttons, menus, and other simple UI
widgets.

[[2D LIB]]
There are arguments that 2D ontop of OpenGL was really slow for 
game programming. However in Linux Journal (september) an article 
is written about what kind of support GGI had and what ports were
done as well as underway.  The article mentioned support for
3Dfx (Glid), Mesa, and X windows.  
If we write libaries ontop of OpenGL we already get the benfifit
of portoability, some speed perfomance, and more speed perfomance
to come in the future, when XWindows and GGI fully support HW 
acceleration.  I know this is in the future, but the more we help
one common goal, the faster the development occures.
I stongly feel that we can serously help GGI by using there
code as our development platform, derectly(Maybe our own 2D) or 
inderectly via(OpenGL/Mesa ontop of GGI).  I much more support
the latter since that accomplishes two goals, portablility
and eligance(i.e. simplicity).  
If we choose the latter route, we will help strengthen Mesa, GGI
and gamedevelopment. Since a lot of professional development use
3D APIs esp. OpenGL if we tell them we have a great 2D API that
is based ontop os OpenGL that will make them feel much more 
confogtable with it since they are familar with OpenGL as opposed
to a generic API.  By givin them the source, they can also enchance
there 2D engine by supping up specific 2D calls that are particular
to there Game.

To sum things up, I do not think we should waist our time looking around
or developing different APIs.  We should conentrate on extending the
limitations of GLUT.

-- 
Xavier Plasencia
Manager of QA Tools and Process Development
Motiva Software Corp.
PH: 481-4822x134
E-mail: xavierp@motiva.com