DX11 Coming To Linux (But Not XP) 370
gr8_phk writes "As reported over at Phoronix, the Direct X 11 API now has an open source implementation on top of Gallium3d which should ease porting of games to Linux with or without Wine. While still in its infancy, you can see where this is heading. All this while Microsoft hasn't offered DX11 for their own aging WindowsXP. Could it be that Linux may soon support this Microsoft API better than Microsoft itself?"
Does this smack of a hidden agenda to you? (Score:5, Interesting)
Because I can't help but think that this may be some sort of scheme to put OpenGL out of the picture....
I'm generally not one to presume conspiracy right off the bat, but there's something about this that just doesn't quite seem on the up-and-up, IMO.
Sound API is the issue now (Score:2, Interesting)
Graphics are an issue but Sound is the item holding back games for Linux.
If this can include a universal sound API then Microsoft will be in trouble.
Re:Does this smack of a hidden agenda to you? (Score:5, Interesting)
great idea (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Does this smack of a hidden agenda to you? (Score:5, Interesting)
OTOH, Macs run OpenGL and are stereotyped as having an affluent user base. Blizzard still releases Mac versions of games. Steam for Mac launched in May. Not really "out of the picture" yet.
Re:Does this smack of a hidden agenda to you? (Score:2, Interesting)
I only have a little GL experience myself, but I can tell you that the DX10 API is *vastly* better. Basically it takes all the OO pieces of GL like which is what modern GL code uses anyway (VBO's, FBO's etc) and throws out the requirement for you to have to deal with the very non-OO GL state machine. It's like the difference between C and Forth in that you no longer have to manage the stack of states yourself. Architecturally speaking, OpenGL's shaders are kind of weak (it basically requires the GLSL compiler as part of the driver) but in real-world terms it's pretty much a wash.
That said, OpenGL has a far superior extension system where DX has bupkus, which lets OpenGL keep pace and sometimes set the pace. Someone seems to have lit a fire under Kronos, because OpenGL is iterating very fast (I'd even say too fast!) these days. But in API terms, it's still way behind.
With Gallium 3D? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Does this smack of a hidden agenda to you? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Does this smack of a hidden agenda to you? (Score:5, Interesting)
As the developer claimed:
I call BULL SHIT. I call it loudly and I call it with a big raspberry. Because: OH REALLY??? ONE HUNDRED or more times more code and development time? Thats what "orders of magnitude" with an "s" means.
Re:Does this smack of a hidden agenda to you? (Score:4, Interesting)
DirectX 10+ is vastly superior to what is available on Linux for writing apps,
1. Direct3D - OpenGL is OK. It's not the largest problem after all!
2. DirectInput - what is the Linux analogy? Using X.Org shitty API? It's akin to using Windows' WM_KEYPRESS and similar messages to do keyboard interface, except it's even more cryptic. X.Org is OK for desktop apps, like Win32 API is OK for desktop apps, but that's about it.
3. DirectSound - let's not even get started on the horrendous crap ALSA has become. It's a prime example of *over-engineered*, unusable project. Hell, even my headset returns multiple interfaces while in fact it is 2 channels OUT, 1 channel IN. Yet in Alsa it has a shit ton of options that are completely useless, like emulating 7.1 input. WTF??
Here's more proof how crap ALSA is,
http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/alsa-lib/index.html
Even the documentation is a mess. Click on high level control interface and you get a blank page!
http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/alsa-lib/hcontrol.html
Going from a different path (modules => high level interface), thus ignoring the main navigation page gets me a page with NO overview, *nothing*.
http://www.alsa-project.org/alsa-doc/alsa-lib/group___h_control.html
ALSA is one of many OSS projects that makes me ashamed of OSS. You look at projects like PostgreSQL that has *clear* and *concise* documentation available,
http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.0/static/index.html
to something like ALSA, and you want to cry. ALSA looks like overengineered project by a 20 year old that simply ignored making any documentation. Winsauce!
DirectX is NOT only about graphics. It's too bad that Linux/XOrg tends to be barely about graphics and almost nothing about the rest.
And I'm speaking as someone that uses Linux 100% of the time.
Re:At Long Last (Score:3, Interesting)
Because "corn" means a large grain.
Such as peppercorns, barleycorns, maize corns or (such as in the naming of corned beef), salt corns.
Re:"not XP" (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:OEM vs. retail pricing; pro vs. home (Score:4, Interesting)
The OEM version is available with any hardware purchase. My understanding is that to meet the requirement when ordering just the software they'll throw in a tiny "hardware" component (usually a screw or a cable) to legitimize it. If you have ANY other piece of hardware in your order though then even that is not needed.
In regard to features, you have a point there, though several features that were limited to the "Professional" version of XP (such as SMP support) have migrated to the "Home" version of Windows 7. That's assuming they were even using XP Pro. I know a lot of people that were using XP Home just fine. And if you really do need Professional, then the OEM Windows 7 Pro is only $40 more than Home Premium.
Re:Response to rampant speculation (Score:3, Interesting)
MS won't support it on XP because they are trying to get gamers to buy Windows 7ista.
Doesn't work though. Look at how many Windows games are written for the Xbox360 and are therefore run fine with Directx9.
Re:XP? Forget XP! (Score:3, Interesting)
That doesn't seem that different, even back with Windows 2000 started the standard post-install/reinstall procedure:
* Folder tweaking (show hidden files, file extensions, otherwise it was impossible to see if something was an executable, icon or whatever)
* TweakUI to improve responsiveness of the UI (this is an official Microsoft tool though, just not shipped with OS).
* Registry tweaking (In win2k and winxp only to disable auto-loading of all useless services installed by required crapware like DVD-players, file archives, PDF readers, etc.)
* Enabling useful "eye-candy" (font antialiasing, and more), disable useless eye-candy (oversized borders, slow animations, etc).
So nothing much changed, it only got slightly worse.