From 0b27aceae2464db3dd149cf4fd667e353a655c5e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Brian Paul Date: Sat, 8 Mar 2003 17:38:57 +0000 Subject: Documentation/website overhaul. The website content and doc/ directory are now merged and are one and the same. --- docs/intro.html | 255 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 255 insertions(+) create mode 100644 docs/intro.html (limited to 'docs/intro.html') diff --git a/docs/intro.html b/docs/intro.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..58c39dabc2 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/intro.html @@ -0,0 +1,255 @@ + + +Mesa Introduction + + + +

Introduction

+ +

+Mesa is a 3-D graphics library with an API which is very similar to +that of OpenGL.* +To the extent that Mesa utilizes the OpenGL command syntax or state +machine, it is being used with authorization from Silicon Graphics, +Inc.(SGI). However, the author does not possess an OpenGL license +from SGI, and makes no claim that Mesa is in any way a compatible +replacement for OpenGL or associated with SGI. Those who want a +licensed implementation of OpenGL should contact a licensed +vendor. +

+ +

+Please do not refer to the library as MesaGL (for legal +reasons). It's just Mesa or The Mesa 3-D graphics +library.
+

+ +

+* OpenGL is a trademark of Silicon Graphics Incorporated. +

+ + +

Project History

+ +

+The Mesa project was founded by me, Brian Paul. Here's a short history +of the project. +

+ +

+August, 1993: I begin working on Mesa in my spare time. The project +has no name at that point. I was simply interested in writing a simple +3D graphics library that used the then-new OpenGL API. I was partially +inspired by the VOGL library which emulated a subset of IRIS GL. +I had been programming with IRIS GL since 1991. +

+ +

+November 1994: I contact SGI to ask permission to distribute my OpenGL-like +graphics library on the internet. SGI was generally receptive to the +idea and after negotiations with SGI's legal department, I get permission +to release it. +

+ +

+February 1995: Mesa 1.0 is released on the internet. I expected that +a few people would be interested in it, but not thousands. +I was soon receiving patches, new features and thank-you notes on a +daily basis. That encouraged me to continue working on Mesa. The +name Mesa just popped into my head one day. SGI had asked me not to use +the terms "Open" or "GL" in the project name and I didn't +want to make up a new acronym. Later, I heard of the Mesa programming +language and the Mesa spreadsheet for NeXTStep. +

+ +

+In the early days, OpenGL wasn't available on too many systems. +It even took a while for SGI to support it across their product line. +Mesa filled a big hole during that time. +For a lot of people, Mesa was their first introduction to OpenGL. +I think SGI recognized that Mesa actually helped to promote +the OpenGL API, so they didn't feel threatened by the project. +

+ + +

+1995-1996: I continue working on Mesa both during my spare time and during +my work hours at the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University +of Wisconsin in Madison. My supervisor, Bill Hibbard, lets me do this because +Mesa is now being using for the Vis5D project. +

+October 1996: Mesa 2.0 is released. It implementes the OpenGL 1.1 specification. +

+ +

+March 1997: Mesa 2.2 is released. It supports the new 3dfx Voodoo graphics +card via the Glide library. It's the first really popular hardware OpenGL +implementation for Linux. +

+ +

+September 1998: Mesa 3.0 is released. It's the first publicly-available +implementation of the OpenGL 1.2 API. +

+ +

+March 1999: I attend my first OpenGL ARB meeting. I contribute to the +development of several official OpenGL extensions over the years. +

+ +

+September 1999: I'm hired by Precision Insight, Inc. Mesa is a key +component of 3D hardware acceleration in the new DRI project for XFree86. +Drivers for 3dfx, 3dLabs, Intel, Matrox and ATI hardware soon follow. +

+ +

+October 2001: Mesa 4.0 is released. +It implements the OpenGL 1.3 specification. +

+ + +

+November 2001: I cofound +Tungsten Graphics, Inc. with Keith Whitwell, Jens Owen, David Dawes and +Frank LaMonica. +I continue to develop Mesa as part of my resposibilities with Tungsten +Graphics and as a spare-time project. +

+ +

+November 2002: Mesa 5.0 is released. +It implements the OpenGL 1.4 specification. +

+ +

+Ongoing: Mesa is used as the core of many hardware OpenGL drivers for XFree86 +within the +DRI project. +I continue to enhance Mesa with new extensions and features. +

+ + + +

Major Versions

+ +

+This is a summary of the major versions of Mesa. Note that Mesa's major +version number tracks OpenGL's minor version number. +

+ + +

Version 5.x features

+

+Version 5.x of Mesa implements the OpenGL 1.4 API with the following +extensions incorporated as standard features: +

+ + + +

Version 4.x features

+ +

+Version 4.x of Mesa implements the OpenGL 1.3 API with the following +extensions incorporated as standard features: +

+ + + +

Version 3.x features

+ +

+Version 3.x of Mesa implements the OpenGL 1.2 API with the following +features: +

+ + + +

Version 2.x features

+

+Version 2.x of Mesa implements the OpenGL 1.1 API with the following +features. +

+ + + + + -- cgit v1.2.3