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.
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.
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 of Mesa implements the OpenGL 1.4 API with the following extensions incorporated as standard features:
Version 4.x of Mesa implements the OpenGL 1.3 API with the following extensions incorporated as standard features:
Version 3.x of Mesa implements the OpenGL 1.2 API with the following features:
Version 2.x of Mesa implements the OpenGL 1.1 API with the following features.