File : README.OpenGL.txt

2010-01-14: This is for WIN32 users only.

Note, this was written ONLY because some developer in
OpenSceneGraph started using some 'later' GL API
items, but they have subsequently reverted to only using
the 'standard' about 1.1 set, so this is left ONLY for
information.

It seems MS has 'stopped' updating it OpenGL s/w,
probably in deference to its own competing DirectX
stuff, so we seem left with an old 1.1 OpenGL
implementation through :-

C:\Windows\System32\glu32.dll
C:\Windows\System32\Opengl32.dll

and the headers, from the Windows SDK v6.1
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v6.1\Include\gl\gl.h and glu.h
and probably the SAME in later MS Platform SDK updates.

These define GL_VERSION_1_1 only...

The GLUT wrapper could be obtained from say 'freeglut', or
the original GLUT 3.7 by Mark Kilguard

Missing are the extension headers glext.h, and wglext.h... which come
with GL_VERSION_1_2 and GL_VERSION_1_3

read : http://www.opengl.org/pipeline/article/vol003_7/

BUT see : http://www.opengl.org/wiki/Getting_started
Section: OpenGL 2.0+ and extensions
indicates these files can be downloaded from the 'registry'...
and stored in the compiler's GL folder...

Below is some research I did while looking for these
two missing, now NOT needed! files...

SEARCH FOR ALTERNATIVES
=======================

(=) OpenGL

see : http://www.opengl.org/

Debugging OpenGL
see : http://sourceforge.net/projects/bugle/files/

SDK and Others items :-

Libraries
Here you'll find some very useful libraries to help speed along your development.

Equalizer is an open source programming interface and resource management 
system for scalable OpenGL applications. An Equalizer application can be 
deployed on any visualization system, from a singlepipe workstation to 
large scale graphics clusters.

GLee is a free cross-platform extension loading library that takes the burden 
off your application. GLee makes it easy to check for OpenGL extension and core 
version availability, automatically setting up the entry points with no effort 
on your part.

GLEW is an open-source cross-platform extension loading library with thread-safe 
support for multiple rendering contexts and automatic code generation capability. 
GLEW provides easy-to-use and efficient methods for checking OpenGL extensions 
and core functionality.

OpenSceneGraph is a high-level 3D graphics toolkit exposing OpenGL's capabilities 
while providing many capabilities of its own. OpenSceneGraph boasts a large 
user community and has been employed for visual simulation, games, virtual 
reality, scientific visualization, and modeling.

* http://www.opengl.org/sdk/libs/GLee/ - GLee (GL Easy Extension library) is 
  a free cross-platform extension loading library for OpenGL 
  see : http://elf-stone.com/glee.php - GLee5_4.zip

* http://www.opengl.org/sdk/libs/GLEW/ - The OpenGL Extension Wrangler Library (GLEW)
  http://glew.sourceforge.net/ -  glew-1.5.1-src.zip
  headers : glew.h glxew.h wglew.h

* http://www.opengl.org/sdk/libs/OpenSceneGraph/
  see : http://www.openscenegraph.org/projects/osg/wiki/Downloads
  OpenSceneGraph-2.8.1.zip - released ~ May 2009

* http://www.opengl.org/sdk/libs/Equalizer/ - create parallel OpenGL-based applications

(=) Mesa 3D

See: http://sourceforge.net/projects/mesa3d

From this site, there are sources -
MesaLib-7.4.4.zip
MesaGLUT-7.4.4.zip
MesaDemos-7.4.4.zip

This seems to include glext.h, but note wglext.h!

(=) GLUX

See: http://code.google.com/p/glux/

This project seems to have been abandoned in 2008!


============================
GLUT-like Windowing, GUI, and Media Control toolkits

While GLUT sets the baseline standard for a cross-platform Window 
management and GUI toolkit and API, there are numerous other Toolkits 
and interface libraries built on top of OpenGL as compliments or 
modern replacements to GLUT. 

Application frameworks provide an underlying support layer for 
developers to control the platform's Windowing system and event 
handling. Widget Libraries or UI Frameworks make it easier to 
display common windowing controls such as drop downs, text 
entry, and buttons. 

• CPW  - http://mathies.com/cpw/about.html 
  Cpw is an application framework library for OpenGL applications 
  and games modeled after the GLUT API. It is designed with speed, 
  simplicity, and portability in mind.

• Fast Light Toolkit  - http://www.fltk.org/
  FLTK provides modern GUI functionality without the bloat and supports 
  3D graphics via OpenGL and its built-in GLUT emulation

• Freeglut - http://sourceforge.net/projects/freeglut/
  Open source and extended alternative to GLUT that allows the user 
  to create and manage windows containing OpenGL contexts on a wide 
  range of platforms and also read the mouse, keyboard and joystick 
  functions.

• GLFW - http://glfw.sourceforge.net/
  Open source, portable framework for OpenGL application development 
  with a link library for handling operating system specific tasks, 
  such as opening an OpenGL window and reading keyboard, mouse and 
  joystick input.

• GLOW Toolkit - http://glow.sourceforge.net/
  C++ wrapper for GLUT, providing a fully object-oriented API for 
  creating windows, menus and other GUI elements, and for 
  event handling.

• GLT and GlutMaster - http://www.nigels.com/glt/
  GLT can be used as an object oriented interface to OpenGL, or 
  as a library of pre-canned functionality for transformations, 
  shapes or fonts, etc. GlutMaster is a C++ interface wrapper to
  GLUT, providing a portable window, keyboard, mouse and menu
  environment for OpenGL programs.

• GLUI UI Library - http://sourceforge.net/projects/glui/
  GLUI is a GLUT-based C++ user interface library which provides
  controls such as buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, and spinners
  to OpenGL applications. It is window-system independent,
  using GLUT or FreeGLUT.

• NGL - http://libnui.net/
  NGL is an application framework similar in many ways to GLUT, but
  with many enhancements in order to make it an easy and yet
  powerful tool for cross-platform C++ application programming. 

• OpenML - http://www.khronos.org/openml/
  A cross-platform API for capturing, transporting, processing,
  displaying, and synchronizing 2D and 3D graphics, audio and
  video processing, I/O, and networking, coexist peacefully
  with the native windowing environment.

• Simple Direct Media Layer (SDL) - http://www.libsdl.org/
  A cross-platform multimedia library designed to provide
  level access to audio, keyboard, mouse, joystick, 3D hardware
  via OpenGL, and 2D video framebuffer. 
  source : SDL-1.2.13.zip

============================
EOF - README.OpenGL.txt
