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I've only dabbled in GPU programming, but I think the issue is more serious than this. It's not really pointless churn. OpenGL was released 29 years ago, and t

I've only dabbled in GPU programming, but I think the issue is more serious than this. It's not really pointless churn. OpenGL was released 29 years ago, and the way GPUs work now vs then is massive. Apparently developers want low level access, and that is what Vulkan/Metal give them. As a user I wish Vulkan had a path without so much setup. I'm not sure if that's possible, or maybe it would defeat the purpose. It seems like it would be nice for hobbyists/beginners like me who just want to get a triangle on the screen and play with shaders though.

JAlexoid 5y ago
And OpenGL changed massively. Going from fixed function to programmable hardware. I understand that a lot of developers want low level access to hardware - that's great for a lot of applications. But that low level access means that software is tied to hardware... and software is not forward/cross compatible. Which is a VERY big deal for pro market. Remember when Apple just "forgot" to release a pro grade desktop for years? Do you think those pros just stayed with their outdated hardware?(they didn't, they moved to Windows) Do you think that there's a good reason for many pro software vendors to jump to Metal, when the majority of their customers are on Windows with Vulkan support? I mentioned this on another subthread - Apple just needs to offer a cross platform API, to prove that they want pro software to be developed on Macs.
- ynx 5y ago
  > But that low level access means that software is tied to hardware... and software is not forward/cross compatible. Which is a VERY big deal for pro market. As a game dev - hardware dependence has been a fact of life for a very long time. There are too many useful extensions not included in the base profiles, and enough video cards combinatorically combined with those - that the most tractable path is to actually care about the specific device's capabilities. The best way forward is to be as detailed as possible than to come up with a new albatross to hang around one's neck for the next 30 years. A thin driver with a fatter app stack is probably more manageable going forward than a very fat driver with a continually aging app stack, so long as appropriate care is paid to forward compatibility.
  - JAlexoid 5y ago
    Game devs are free to use whatever API you wish. You create entertainment, not design buildings that have to last decades or industrial systems. You have the benefit of abandoning your product 3-5 years after it's published, without anyone caring.

JAlexoid 5y ago

And OpenGL changed massively. Going from fixed function to programmable hardware. I understand that a lot of developers want low level access to hardware - that's great for a lot of applications. But that low level access means that software is tied to hardware... and software is not forward/cross compatible. Which is a VERY big deal for pro market. Remember when Apple just "forgot" to release a pro grade desktop for years? Do you think those pros just stayed with their outdated hardware?(they didn't, they moved to Windows) Do you think that there's a good reason for many pro software vendors to jump to Metal, when the majority of their customers are on Windows with Vulkan support? I mentioned this on another subthread - Apple just needs to offer a cross platform API, to prove that they want pro software to be developed on Macs.

ynx 5y ago
> But that low level access means that software is tied to hardware... and software is not forward/cross compatible. Which is a VERY big deal for pro market. As a game dev - hardware dependence has been a fact of life for a very long time. There are too many useful extensions not included in the base profiles, and enough video cards combinatorically combined with those - that the most tractable path is to actually care about the specific device's capabilities. The best way forward is to be as detailed as possible than to come up with a new albatross to hang around one's neck for the next 30 years. A thin driver with a fatter app stack is probably more manageable going forward than a very fat driver with a continually aging app stack, so long as appropriate care is paid to forward compatibility.
- JAlexoid 5y ago
  Game devs are free to use whatever API you wish. You create entertainment, not design buildings that have to last decades or industrial systems. You have the benefit of abandoning your product 3-5 years after it's published, without anyone caring.