OpenGL spec promises better 3D Graphics for more devices
Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted from the Geek Tech blog at PCWorld.com.
The Khronos Group announced in a press release that the OpenGL graphics API has reached specification version 4.1. OpenGL is one of two major graphics APIs—the toolsets programmers use to build games and other apps that use 3D graphics—supported by hardware the hardware manufacturers that produce the graphic chipsets for everything from desktop computer to smartphones. (The other is Microsoft’s proprietary DirectX technology.)
Previous versions of OpenGL have been significantly different between platforms (for example, a desktop PC versus a smartphone), and subsequently more difficult to support for software developers interested in releasing their work across multiple platforms.
The OpenGL 4.1 spec promises to unify these different implementations into one to allow the production of applications that may be deployed to multiple types of hardware and software configurations with minimal modification to the core software. In the near future we may see PC games released side-by-side with mobile versions that offer a similar experience to what’s available on the desktop, albeit at a lower resolution or graphical fidelity.
Additionally, this new OpenGL spec offers new features for bleeding-edge graphics effects that were previously only available to programmers using Microsoft’s DirectX API. While DirectX is primarily limited to Windows-based PCs and the Xbox video game consoles, OpenGL is an open standard available on many platforms including Mac OS X, Linux, iOS, and Android.
While we won’t see hardware manufacturers supporting the 4.1 spec in the short-term, it may be OpenGL 4.1 that powers the 3D graphics in our next generation of desktops, laptops, and hand-held devices.
[via Engadget]
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OpenGL spec promises better 3D Graphics for more devices
Copernic updates Desktop Search Pro
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If Google Desktop isn't doing the trick for you, check out Copernic's Desktop Search Professional. The company just released an update to the program, which is aimed at small business and worker bees with an organizational bent. The latest version fixes a handful of bugs and adds high capacity indexing functionality. Other noteworthy features include the ability to search any file on your hard drive or network drive as well as save your most frequent searches. You can also export your list of results in an HTML file; select specific files and e-mail folders to index; control computer resources usage when indexing documents; and get desktop and Web results with a single search. In addition, the download comes with handy search toolbars for both your desktop and browser.
Copernic Desktop Search Professional will set you back $49.95, but you can test it out for 30 days before committing to the purchase. Anyone who doesn't need all the features offered by the Professional version of of the software can still download Copernic Desktop Search Home for free. However, the publisher did not update this particular program today.
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Copernic updates Desktop Search Pro
