OpenGL programming

R

RickA

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I'm currently considering purchasing an iBook. I would mostly use this for generic stuff, and for a bit of semi-advanced OpenGL programming.

I know that on windows, IHVs can add OpenGL capabilities to their cards by releasing new drivers. Since I'm interested in some of the newer OpenGL capabilities, I need to know if the iBook supports this.

Thus I have two questions:
1. How do videodrivers get updated on MacOSX? I read in a different thread that they are included in the OS updates. If this is so, I needn't really worry about that.
2. What is the current state of OpenGL on MacOSX, specifically with the videocard in the iBook (ATI 9650)? A dump of glGetString(GL_EXTENSIONS) with the newest driver versions would answer this question very well :rolleyes:

Note that I realise the speed of the 9650 might not be extremely high. I'm more interested in IF it supports certain features, not how fast they go. I'll be using my PC as a main development platform anyway.
 
1) Yes, the drivers are updated with OS updates, unless you've got some PowerMac with an upgraded card.
2) The iBook probably isn't the most advanced when it comes to OpenGL handling ;) although it's a good machine to develop for since it's more of the average type of Mac you'd be dealing with if you were creating OpenGL software for the Mac. I don't know specifics on what the card can handle, but I'm sure you could look that up on ATI's web site or something like that..
 
Thank you for the replyl, unfortunately, I have had a search on their site, but can't really find any specifics.
 
The 9650 is basically a similar chip to the 9600, just manufactured on a smaller die process and hence can be clocked higher than the typical 9600. On many PC laptops, the 9650 doesn't exist. Instead, it's called the Radeon M11, or the Radeon 9700.

Everything the 9600 can do, the 9650 can do too. It's a very decent video chipset, especially for the iBook.
 
The desktop 9600 supports OpenGL 2.0 which is the same standard that all the high end stuff supports right now.

I got the info from www.newegg.com they typically list the OpenGL version supported for all the video cards.
 
Many thanks for that info. I'd almost resigned myself to never finding a laptop that would fit my specifications. But with this info, it seems it might be the iBook. I just hope the OpenGL drivers are updated soon.
 
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