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- Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!swrinde!sgigate.sgi.com!fido.asd.sgi.com!sgi!dilow.asd.sgi.com!pho
- From: pho@dilow.asd.sgi.com (Paul Ho)
- Subject: OpenGL Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) [2/3]
- Message-ID: <DFtAGz.JEq@sgi.sgi.com>
- Followup-To: poster
- Last-Modified: 1995 September 8
- Summary: This contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions about OpenGL (R)
- Keywords: FAQ, OpenGL
- Sender: pho@dilow.asd.sgi.com
- Reply-To: pho@dilow.asd.sgi.com
- Organization: Silicon Graphics Inc.
- Posting-Frequency: twice a month
- Date: Mon, 2 Oct 1995 08:05:23 GMT
- Approved: mailnews@sgi.sgi.com
-
- Archive-Name: graphics/opengl-faq/part2
- Lines: 229
- Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu comp.answers:14595 comp.graphics.api.opengl:1182 news.answers:54155
-
- The FAQ has been split into 3 parts.
- This is Part 2 of 3.
-
- ------
- Subject: Q9: Who needs to license OpenGL? Who doesn't?
-
- A: Companies which will be creating or selling binaries of the
- OpenGL library will need to license OpenGL. Typical examples of
- licensees include hardware vendors, such as Digital Equipment,
- and IBM who would distribute OpenGL with the system software on
- their workstations or PCs. Also, some software vendors, such as
- Portable Graphics and Template Graphics, have a business in creating
- and distributing versions of OpenGL, and they need to license OpenGL.
-
- Applications developers do NOT need to license OpenGL. If a
- developer wants to use OpenGL, that developer needs to obtain
- copies of a linkable OpenGL library for a particular machine.
- Those OpenGL libraries may be bundled in with the development
- and/or run-time options or may be purchased from a third-party
- software vendor, without licensing the source code or use of the
- OpenGL(R) trademark.
-
- Since many implementations will be a shared library on a hardware
- platform, the royalty sometimes will be charged for each hardware
- platform. In those cases, it would not be charged for each
- application which used OpenGL.
-
- In general, licensing a source code implementation of OpenGL
- would not be useful for an application developer, because the
- binary created from that implementation would not be accelerated
- and optimized to run on the graphics hardware of a machine.
-
- ------
- Subject: Q10: What are the conformance tests?
-
- A: The conformance tests are a suite of programs which judge the
- success of an OpenGL implementation. Each implementor is
- required to run these tests and pass them in order to call their
- implementation with the registered trademark OpenGL. Passing the
- conformance tests ensures source code compatibility of
- applications across all OpenGL implementations.
-
- ------
- Subject: Q11: What is Silicon Graphics policy on "free"
- implementations of APIs which resemble the OpenGL API?
-
- A: From woo@sgi.com (Mason Woo)
-
- Silicon Graphics, as licensor of the OpenGL(R) trademark, does not
- permit non-licensed use of the OpenGL trademark, nor does it permit
- non-licensed use of the OpenGL conformance tests. Silicon Graphics
- provides a source code sample implementation of OpenGL, but only to
- companies and organizations which agree to the terms and conditions of
- an OpenGL license.
-
- Silicon Graphics does give permission to others to create and distribute
- their own implementations of the OpenGL API, provided they do not
- state nor imply they have the right to use the OpenGL(R) trademark to
- name their product, nor make claims to conformance based upon the ARB
- controlled OpenGL conformance tests. Silicon Graphics agrees to allow
- others to copy the OpenGL header files, as much as is necessary, for
- the creation of other implementations.
-
- Silicon Graphics is in no way associated nor endorsing these
- other graphics libraries. Silicon Graphics does not make any
- claims or guarantees as to the quality, performance, nor
- completeness of an unlicensed library.
-
- ------
- Subject: Q12: What is Mesa 3D and where can I get it?
-
- From brianp@ssec.wisc.edu (Brian Paul)
-
- The "Mesa 3-D graphics library" (or just Mesa) is a free
- implementation of the OpenGL API. It has been compiled and
- tested on most major Unix/X systems. All you should need is an
- ANSI C compiler and X.
-
- There is a WWW page at http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/~brianp/Mesa.html
-
- You can get Mesa by anonymous ftp from iris.ssec.wisc.edu in the
- pub/misc/ directory.
-
- Mesa is currently in beta release. Some features are not yet
- implemented and you may find new bugs. See the WWW page for
- updated information.
-
- Pedro Vazquez (vazquez@iqm.unicamp.br) has set up a mailing list
- for users of the Mesa 3-D graphics library. Anyone who uses Mesa
- and/or wants to be kept up to date on Mesa developments is
- invited to subscribe.
-
- To subscribe to the list send the following message to
- listserv@iqm.unicamp.br
-
- subs mesa <your name>
- set mesa mail ack
-
- For example:
-
- subs mesa Brian Paul
- set mesa mail ack
-
- The second line tells the list processor to send you a copy of
- your own messages.
-
- You will receive a welcome message from the list server when you
- have been added to the list. It tells you how to post messages
- to the list, how to unsubscribe, etc.
-
- ------
- Subject: Q13: How does a university or research institution
- acquire access to OpenGL source code?
-
- A: There is a university/research institution licensing program. A
- university license entitles the institution to generate binaries and
- copy them anywhere, so long as nothing leaves the institution. The
- OpenGL source and derived binaries can only be used for non-commercial
- purposes on-campus.
-
- A university license costs $500 US. This license provides source
- code for a sample implementation of OpenGL. This source code is
- best designed for porting onto a system which supports the X
- Window System. You can drop this into the X Consortium's X11
- server source tree and build a server with the OpenGL extension.
- To do this properly, you should have the MIT source for an X
- Server and some experience modifying it.
-
- Note that this gets you a software renderer only. If your
- machine includes a graphics accelerator, the sample
- implementation is not designed to take any advantage of it.
-
- To obtain a university license, contact John Schimpf, OpenGL
- Licensing Manager at Silicon Graphics (jsch@sgi.com). Please
- provide a mailing address, telephone and fax number.
-
- Universities may also be interested in Mesa 3D. See Q12.
-
- ------
- Subject: Q14: How is a commercial license acquired?
-
- If you need a license or would like more information, call John
- Schimpf at (415)390-3062 or e-mail him at jsch@sgi.com. There are
- licenses available restricted to site (local) usage, or
- permitting redistribution of binary code. The limited source
- license provides a sample implementation of OpenGL for $50,000.
- The license for commerical redistribution of OpenGL binaries has
- two most commonly chosen levels. Level 1 costs $25,000. Level 2
- costs $100,000, and includes the sample implementation of OpenGL.
- Both levels require a $5 royalty for every copy of the OpenGL
- binary, which is redistributed.
-
- ------
- Subject: Q15: How is the OpenGL governed? Who decides what changes can be
- made?
-
- A: OpenGL is controlled by an independent board, the Architecture
- Review Board (ARB). Each member of the ARB has one vote. The
- permanent members of the ARB are Digital Equipment, IBM, Intel,
- Microsoft, and Silicon Graphics. Additional members will be added
- over time. The ARB governs the future of OpenGL, proposing and
- approving changes to the specification, new releases, and conformance
- testing.
-
- ------
- Subject: Q16: Who are the current ARB members?
-
- A: In alphabetical order: Digital Equipment, Evans & Sutherland,
- IBM, Intel, Intergraph, Microsoft, and Silicon Graphics.
-
- ------
- Subject: Q17: What is the philosophy behind the structure of the ARB?
-
- A: The ARB is intended to be able to respond quickly and flexibly to
- evolutionary changes in computer graphics technology. The ARB is
- currently "lean and mean" to encourage speedy communication and
- decision-making. Its members are highly motivated in ensuring the
- success of OpenGL.
-
- ------
- Subject: Q18: How does the OpenGL ARB operate logistically?
- When does the ARB have meetings?
-
- A: ARB meetings are held about once a quarter. The meetings rotate
- among sites hosted by the ARB members. To learn the date and place of
- the next OpenGL ARB meeting, watch the news group comp.graphics.opengl
- for posting announcing the next "OpenGL ARB meeting", check the
- Web site http://www.sgi.com/Technology/openGL/arb.location.html
- or e-mail opengl-secretary@sgi.com and ask for the information.
-
- Meetings are run by a set of official by-laws. A copy of the
- by-laws may be requested from the Secretary of the OpenGL ARB.
-
- Minutes to the ARB meeting are posted to comp.graphics.opengl
- and are available via ftp://sgigate.sgi.com/pub/opengl/arb/
-
- ------
- Subject: Q19: How do additional members join the OpenGL ARB?
-
- A: The intention is that additional members may be added on a
- permanent basis or for a one-year term. The one-year term members
- would be voting members, added on a rotating basis, so that
- different viewpoints (such as ISV's) could be incorporated into new
- releases. Under the by-laws, SGI formally nominates new members.
-
- ------
- Subject: Q20: So if I'm not a member of the ARB, am I shut out of
- the decision making process?
-
- A: There are many methods by which you can influence the evolution of
- OpenGL.
-
- 1) Contribute to the comp.graphics.opengl news group. Most members of
- the ARB read the news group religiously.
- 2) Contact any member of the ARB and convince that member that your
- proposal is worth their advocacy. Any ARB member may present a
- proposal, and all ARB members have equal say.
- 3) Come to OpenGL ARB and speak directly to ARB.
-
- ------
- Subject: Q21: Are ARB meetings open to observers?
-
- A: The ARB meeting will be open to observers, but we want to keep the
- meeting small. Currently, up to five non-voting representatives
- who inform the ARB secretary in advance, can observe and participate in
- the ARB meeting. At any time, the ARB reserves the right to change
- the number of observers.
-
-
-