Mac's "Great" apparently... but why doesnt it run games?

[Speedo]

I think that's why they invented OpenGL so that you could port code from Windows to Linux without the need for DirectX. The problem is the driver support for Linux is lacking atm.

OGL's origins are quite a bit older than D3D. It has its roots in SGI's IRIS GL in the late '80s. In the early '90s, SGI decided release an open version of IRIS GL, which would become OGL... I forget the exact dates, but OGL officially existed by at least '92. OTOH, D3D didn't come into existence until '95.

If you want someone to blame for D3D's dominace, you can probably blame 3dfx (ironically founded buy former SGI guys). I'm sure some of you remember their dominance in the late '90s, when the best 3D games used Glide, and Glide was only supported by 3dfx cards. Glide was more difficult to write than D3D and OGL, but had much better performance - hence its dominance. By the end of the '90s though, 3dfx was starting slide downhill, so developers were starting to look for an API that was commonly supported... at the time OGL was simply more difficult to work with than D3D, so D3D won.

I don't know that there's an extremely significant difference between them today, AFAIK most developers just continue using what they've used in the past.

 

[croxis]

The other element is that OpenGL is just graphics, while directx provides, graphics, sounds, user input, network code, the works. And from my understanding it seems that most programmers prefer d3d over opengl as far as coding goes.

 

[Murky]

The other element is that OpenGL is just graphics, while directx provides, graphics, sounds, user input, network code, the works. And from my understanding it seems that most programmers prefer d3d over opengl as far as coding goes.

D3D is definately more mainstream. There are OpenSource alternatives either already around or in development. It's really up to each developer to decide where they want to focus. I'd guess that most game-dev jobs are for Windows/D3D.

 

[Padma]

Like Speedo said, OpenGL existed first. DirectX was originally based on OGL. IIRC, it's original purpose was to provide an 'easy-to-use API' for OGL. Of course, it has morphed into something much larger. But, technically, OpenGL can do everything graphics-wise as DirectX. And OpenAL can do everything audio-wise as DIrectX. Etc.

The problem is there *still* isn't an open, easy-to-use API for OpenGL. So game companies stick with DirectX.

 

[Speedo]

Like Speedo said, OpenGL existed first. DirectX was originally based on OGL. IIRC, it's original purpose was to provide an 'easy-to-use API' for OGL. Of course, it has morphed into something much larger. But, technically, OpenGL can do everything graphics-wise as DirectX. And OpenAL can do everything audio-wise as DIrectX. Etc.

The problem is there *still* isn't an open, easy-to-use API for OpenGL. So game companies stick with DirectX.

Yeah, it seems like many games now that attempt to include OGL do so very half-heartedly. Several that I've tried recently (in the last few years) had *significantly* better performance under D3D than OGL.

Though obviously, those developers that seem to love OGL and devote themselves to it can do fantastic things (Doom3, Quake4 - ID software being one of the OGL lovers).

 

[GrandAdmiral]

I think that's why they invented OpenGL so that you could port code from Windows to Linux without the need for DirectX. The problem is the driver support for Linux is lacking atm.

OpenGL predates DirectX. Groups within Microsoft were actually using OpenGL at the time of DirectX's creation and there was a power struggle within the company over which one to use.

The MS group and especially the evangelist Alex St John that created DirectX is very famous amongst game developers. DirectX was first created in secret and against the will of Microsoft executives. It wasn't created as a part of the companies strategy but instead it was created by a group within the company who just wanted to make something cool and advance to higher positions. Developers were writing games for DirectX before Bill Gates even knew what it was. The product was almost finished before it was even considered a part of Microsoft strategy. The group that created DirectX even went on to make a browser based on DirectX technology called Chrome, but the Internet Explorer group had them shut down.