OpenGL Forums

OpenGL 3 & DirectX 11: The War Is Over

If you say that OpenGL is a standard, not an implementation and can't be forked. You are fooling yourself. I'm not saying that it would be easy or that you wouldn't need a lot of help.  It's an open standard and the open part is all that counts. There is complaining but I have yet to see a counter or updated proposal based on v3 to bring a clean modern API. Its a lot of talk. Maybe I missed it? We need to see a draft with all the deprecated functions removed and any lost functional replaced. Then based on that a draft which clean everything into a Nice API. Then based on that clean API introduce new functionality. While doing all of this you would have to build support with the industry. Would the ARG and Khronos Group take it seriously, who knows?

Yes, I understand that the Khronos Group is currently in charge of the API design. But a little competition never hurt, right? Maybe all the worry is unfounded, but it is a bad juju to let the idea of DirectX (single platform, ok more if you count the xboxes) being superior to OpenGL (a multi-platform 3D API) seep into the public concious.

In the end it may not matter as it will all be replaced by General purpose GPU/CPU stuff. But allowing DirectX to get a lead by inaction or self-defeating action, is a lot worse then a give it your best shot and failing.

I know nothing about 3D API's so I guess I'm just talk too.

Ora, fortunatamente, gNewSense e le altre distribuzioni potranno includere questi componenti senza incorrere in nessun tipo di violazione: SGI ha infatti annunciato un “aggiornamento automatico” di tali licenze, che le renderà praticamente identiche alla licenza MIT utilizzata da X.org.

Il merito dell’operazione va alla Free Software Foundation che, dopo aver raccolto, il grido d’allarme degli sviluppatori di gNewSense si è attivata per risolvere direttamente la questione con SGI, detentrice delle licenze sui componenti incriminati. Un bel regalo di compleanno per il progetto GNU e per gli utenti di sistemi operativi liberi.

[via: phoronix.com || ossblog.it]

En la nueva licencia de SGI podemos encontrar tecnologías como OpenGL Sample Implementation, la API GLX (OpenGL Extension to the X Window System o Extensión OpenGL para el sistema de Ventanas X), así como una serie de extensiones para GLX. Precisamente GLX ha sido de gran ayuda en el desarrollo de muchas de las distribuciones de Linux.

La licencia de SGI surgió en 1999, pero es ahora cuando la compañía ha conseguido que sea verdaderamente gratuita y los proyectos que se están beneficiando de ella, como el anteriormente mencionado de X.org o el Proyecto Mesa, pueden estar tranquilos y contentos.

UPDATE: His personal site has been updated.

It was with great sadness that we learned of [Mark Hoekstra]'s death this morning. Earlier this week, the 34 year old hacker suffered a heart attack while riding his bicycle and was admitted to the hospital in a coma. [Markie] has been a Hack a Day commenter for much of our existence and a project contributor for nearly as long. It started simply with things like his bright green Hack a Day iPod sock and a hand crank iPod charger. He did an excellent job documenting his projects; many people had built IR cameras, but none were nearly as thorough as him. He also enjoyed sharing his love for obsolete hardware with the community. He built a wireless eMate, turned two Mac SE/30's into audio viualizers, and wired shutter glasses to an old SGI.

It was always a treat to hear about [Mark]'s latest project and he'll be missed greatly.

[photo: Bram Belloni]

I've been thinking about OpenGL recently, as it helped introduce me to open standards, years ago when I worked at SGI. Back in late 1995, after I persuaded SGI to become the first licensee of Java, I tried (and failed) to convince Sun to follow SGI's lead to make Java a truly open standard, rather than a Sun proprietary thing, with heavy licensing.

Now, as we work to solidify and gain traction for a "new open stack" for the emerging Social Web, I continue to be inspired by the bold idea behind turning SGI's proprietary "GL" (Graphic Library) and into OpenGL.

The new open stack is comprised of OpenID, OAuth, OpenSocial, XRDS-Simple, and Portable Contacts. Projects as diverse as MySpace Data Availability, Y!OS, Google Friend Connect, and Plaxo Pulse now share a common vision (of an open interoperable Social Web) and are being built out on this common set of open spec building blocks. Each company can innovate faster by not having to waste development resources on creating one-off proprietary APIs. Each company can see more rapid uptake by developers, since those developers can write once and have there code work in more places. And each company can be part of the virtuous cycle of acceleration by contributing code to the open stack.

Exciting times!

El código, licenciado por Silicon Graphics (SGI), fue distribuido bajo la licencia SGI Free License B y GLX Public License. Dichas licencias causan problemas a usuarios, desarrolladores y a la comunidad de software libre al hacer el código no libre. Más información en la definición de software libre y el laboratorio de licencias.

La Free Software Foundation (FSF) ha trabajado junto a SGI para subsanar dicho problema. Hoy han dado a conocer ambos en notas de prensa el acuerdo. Tanto la FSF y SGI. Las licencias de SGI han sido adaptadas para ser consideradas libres, la versión 2.0 de SGI Free Sofware License B.

Todo esto conlleva que en posteriores versiones de gNewSense, y otras distribuciones libres, podremos disfrutar de 3D.

Gracias a la comunidad de OpenBSD, por alertar de dicho problema, a la FSF, por pelear por nuestra libertad y a SGI por su apoyo. Hoy, más que nunca, puedo decir: estoy orgulloso de apoyar a la FSF.

Our appointment at the fertility clinic was yesterday. We never expected IVF to be offered as a first treatment - they briefly explained all the options, and because we've never discussed IVF we went ahead with a more in-depth look at stimulated cycle IUI. I will write technical explanations when I don't feel so fucked up.

At any rate, I think we are seriously considering IVF. If I am willing to donate half my eggs, I get the treatment at a hugely reduced cost - and the success rates are five times that of a natural cycle IUI. This makes IVF both more affordable and much more attractive as far as outcomes go.

I'm just overwhelmed by the idea of daily injections, suppositories, little egg-babies in a petri dish who don't survive, little egg-babies in my womb who don't burrow right into my uterine lining. I am in excellent health. I am not an infertile woman. All of my scans have been excellent, my hormone levels are kickin', and there is always a chance I could conceive without going through IVF. But we only have enough money for three attempts.

IVF success rate at this clinic is 50-55%, and the consultant said because I'm so young it would be nearer to the 55% mark. I also have no reason to believe that I couldn't support a pregnancy, as I am fertile - unlike many women who go through IVF.

Egg sharing means more tests to make sure I'm not carrying a freaky disease, which pushes the timeline back. I don't think I mind.

Yesterday I felt so overwhelmed that when we left the clinic I started crying on the street and told TMD I don't want to do this anymore - I just want to adopt.

I don't know what the point of this entry is....venting, I suppose. Offloading. The sorts of things I would be saying to Kleinette if I was sitting on her couch. I don't want to have to be logical. Logic tells me that we should definitely do IVF - and I am happy with that choice. Despite that, I still feel scared, upset, and confused.

All I/we wanted was a baby. I never thought when I was growing up that it would be this fucking involved. Babymaking is, inherantly, supposed to be an intimate act that brings pleasure. I suppose I am mourning the fact that TMD and I have to do it differently.

I just wish I could know it would work.

OH. I'll tell you one more thing, though. Nichiren Buddhism talks about something called sancho shima. I won't pretend to be incredibly philosophical, but merely say that this means that when you are about to make a very strong step in life, life invariably throws up obstacles. Getting to the clinic yesterday was unbelieveable. We almost missed the fucking appointment, perhaps more details later.

Anyway, I was chanting in my head - the first chanting I've done in ages - to arrive by 12. When we finally made it into the city and got on public transport, guess who sat down across from us? A woman reading a book about Nichiren Buddhism - which has NEVER happened before.

Perhaps this is me striving to make coincidence meaningful, but it felt pretty fucking profound, I can tell you. We also made it to the clinic exactly at 12.

The guy who told us to show up late at college told us so at about 7.10 am ,but by then we were already standing at the bus stop.. Too late to turn back.. or so we thought before we headed to Akbar's tomb at Sikandra to spend two hours there.. I had a faint sense of 'deja-vu' as I entered the main monument at Sikandra.. I had been to Sikandra many, many years ago..8 years, I think...But, it was beautiful..and calm..and luckily the weather was great too.. Here are some snaps:

 The time (7.30 am) meant that the whole place was deserted..

 We didn't sit through the entire function... what we did, instead, was sit through half of the time, grabbed something to eat and made a silent exit... I couldn't snap the photos of all the happenings on the stage since I was seated faraway from it and I decided that no snaps were better than blurry snaps...

Here's a photo snapped before we made our getaway..

Now that the Freshers' party is over, we can, finally, slip to canteen without worrying that someone will wish us 'Good Afternoon Sir' with his head way down and that we'll recieve a trashing if word gets out...

Monday.Monday.Monday. :)

Some more pics at my Flickr photostream..

Listen to a reading of the text in English. Inspiring!

The reason this came up, is I am now a volunteer at Senior Gleaners, Inc., here in Sacramento, California (SGI). SGI is a food bank that feeds the hungry, run mostly by senior (over 50) volunteers. The average age of our volunteers is 73. Senior Gleaners

In my research to put together the quarterly newspaper for SGI, I have come across astounding numbers of how much food is wasted in this day and age where everyone and everything is 'instant'.

My favorite blog to date on this subject is by a young man named Jonathan Bloom who actually came from his home in NC and visited SGI last year. He has done extensive research and I am still reading at this time as he has so much in his blog to 'glean' from (no pun intended LOL).

You Can Help
There are many ways you can help in your local area to save food and even help feed the hungry, as well as save when you go shopping.

You can minimize waste with a few simple steps:

1) Plan meals ahead and make a detailed shopping list. If you have a purpose for every item you buy, you're less likely to waste food.

2) Stick to your list and avoid impulse buys. The majority of home food waste comes from buying items not on your list and unfamiliar foods. While that chayote is tempting, you may not get around to it before it gets overripe.

3) Beware bargains that beget waste. Sometimes "buy one, get one free" deals and bulk purchases are like fool's gold. True Alpha Consumers know that saving a few bucks is useless if you throw away those savings later.

4) Shop for your real life, not your ideal one. If you find yourself getting takeout and tossing fresh foods, plan fewer home-cooked meals.

5) Save (and eat) your leftovers. There's nothing better than leftovers for lunch, or you can set them aside for a smorgasbord dinner. Call it "Loco Leftovers Night" and the kids will love it.
* (taken from article dated 5/19/08 by Jonathan Bloom)

I'd like to add here that leftovers are a great source for fajitas! Combine meat and some veggies, heat up, place in a flour tortilla with salsa and cheese and you have a nice dinner. You can add a salad on the side if you like.

Another way you can help is with your local food bank or charity that help feed the hungry. Many churches have Food Ministries that always need food and volunteers. If you have more time than money, volunteer your time. There should be a food bank in your area, check the net or the phone book. Senior Gleaners covers 7 counties and a number of the food banks have regional or national offices. A little research would show you where you could help in your area.

And finally if you would rather donate your money than your time, all the food banks such as SGI and ministries accept donations. You can find them online as well.

On a final note there is a cute Food Salvage Game

My score was 515, can you beat that?

Also, if you would like to see how much food is being wasted:

96 billion pounds of food are wasted each year

According to a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we waste 96 billion pounds of food in America each year. That turns out to be:

* 263,013,699 pounds of food wasted each day...
* 10,958,904 pounds wasted each hour...
* 182,648 pounds wasted each minute...
* 3,044 pounds of food wasted in America each second!

look at the counter here:

I hope this has inspired you to do your part.
Deb

I like the feel of these cards, which are often quite sturdy with a plastic coating. I like bright colours, flowing words, strong and subtle symbolism. Yet I always keep reaching towards the next thing, hoping that one day I'll find the perfect whatever-it-is and not put it down. I'm still looking, despite being aware that none of these things will ever be the perfect size to fill this particular hole in my experience.

Religions have often played a similar role. In my time, I've run a semi-wide gambit: Catholic, Agnostic, Wiccan, Christian, Quaker, New Age, Humanist, Buddhist. Each spiritual quest has narrowed down what I am looking for, and my exploring is often limited within spheres of Buddhism now. I positively identify as a Buddhist, though I am not clear what type of Buddhist.

I officially belong to a form of Nichiren Buddhism called the Soka Gakkai. I find the philosophy and the people practical and powerful. Yet mindfulness is something I will need to reach out to embrace, as my type of Buddhism isn't specifically about mindfulness - and I love it. Either way, I often devour things mentally and then have a very difficult time putting things into practice.

As a member of the SGI (Soka Gakkai International), Buddhism is based on faith, practice, and study. There is no God, as such. There is a daily practice of a morning and evening period, and while I can feel the actual tangible benefits in my life from doing it, I don't carry on. This is true of most things that are good for me, or feel good while doing them.

And I don't mean 'good' in a blase way. I mean it in a deep, connected, and true sense of the word. Good like warm homemade bread, good like walking in fields on a sunny day, good like the first time you are embraced and realise you are safe. Good.

I'm still reading Writing as a Way of Healing, during my lunch breaks when I stay indoors. I think I want to write about my breast reduction, as it keeps coming into my mind lately. Feelings of guilt are strongly attached to this for me, and I want to see what it is like to write about it. I have debated whether to do my fifteen minutes of writing here, or whether to craft and mold a story as the book suggests. I think we all know I get a more immediate release from journalling; whether it is the better option, I don't know. I also think I could embrace both.

So tonight I want to carve out some time to write. Lately when I get home I am so tired I collapse onto the couch. I'm worried about Louis the Lump, I'm exhausted from working much longer days than I am used to, I am besottted with all the television channels that are now in my life. I'm leaving work an hour early today, so hopefully I'll manage to find a little time and space for myself and my words this evening.

I think I like little things I can hold and look at because they are outside reminders of all the things I am trying to remember on the inside.

He answered back in a fragmented and strange English which still far surpassed my Spanish. As we walked the long blocks to the Empanada restaurant, I pieced together that he had been an actor, but was now an art journalist and an artist. I tired to tell him that I had been a teacher and was now a writer, but I couldn't come up with the Spanish past tense, so I mostly let him talk.

When we arrived in the small, warm restaurant, Jorge was greated with smiles and hellos from all the people who worked their, especially the owner. His personality was large, like him, and his smile warm and laughing. As he became more comfortable, he spoke about art in Buenos Aires and the complications of its social structures and heirarchies. He told me about his father, Jorge Porcel de Parelta, and who had been a famous comedian in Argentina. And as he spoke with passion and energy about the world, I had this echo of a thought: "He has the same energy as the most vibrant of SGI members."

The previous six months I had lived with my parents in Largo FLorida and hadn't joined up with the local SGI community. I had my gohonzon in my room, but I was in a soliatary frame of mind and kept it that way. I had forgotten about the texture and power of those who are chanting- that vibration that makes you feel like anything is possible.

He asked me if I wanted to go dancing later and of course I said yes. We talked for another hour and then left to go pick up a friend of his. As we were walking through the Jewish section on Palermo, Buenos Aires, it prompted me to ask his religion. He said, "Lately I have been practicing Buddhism."

We had settled on French for communication since we both knew it better than we knew each other's languages, so I said I French.

"Oh! I practice Buddhism, too."

"What type?" he asked.

Trying to get it right, I said, "Je pratique un bouddhisme japonais..."

And that was all I needed to say before he stopped and grabbed my arm, "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo?" he said.

"Yes!"

We gave each other a huge hug, the kind you would do finding a long-lost family member.

"I should have known!" I said, "You felt like an SGI member!"

I don't find it very easy to be a part of a community or to stay strong in my practice, but I believe that these sort of coincidences have happened far for me not to not be amazed, awed, and delighted by them. My travels in South Africa, New York State, Argentina, and other states always show me again and again that SGI members really are of one heart. It is a beautiful thing.

Please, if you have any experiences like this to share, write in and we'll post it for everyone to read.