opengl & linux

Well I''m not even as far along as you are. I''m still
trying to get Linux to play nice with all my hardware.
But hell that was an up hill battle in windows.
anyway, if I recall you will need to download the openGL
header files. They are not included directly with the OS
generaly. They do get around alot so you may pick up the source
code somewhere or I think they are avalible on whatever OpenGL
site you might find. Most prog. that use OpenGL probably are
already precompiled so they have little need to supply u with
the source code. I think thats what I read somewhere.

Most Linux distros use Mesa, the Open Source implementation of the OpenGL spec (I believe it''s 1.2-compliant). Your GL header files should have been installed if you installed development packages; check your /usr/include directory. The appropriate libs should also be in /usr/lib.

Linux libraries are named lib*, where the * represents the package name. So the Standard C++ Library is libsdtc++, and the Mesa (OpenGL) libraries are libGL, libGLU (GLUT), etc. Library files come in two flavors: shared object and static libraries. Shared objecys (think: Windows DLLs) have the .so extensions, which would mean libGL.so for GL shared objects; and .a for static libs (libGL.a).

Have fun, kids!

I would use the extended headers from nvidia that you got with the drivers.
.lib=.a (archive)

Actually, .lib != .a

Windows uses .libs for both static linking and dynamic linking. In the latter case, the .lib just holds information about which functions are in the .dll.

On Linux, you use .a for static linking, and the .so holds both the actual library code and the linking information used w/ dynamic linking.

cu,
Prefect

One line of sourcecode says more than a thousand words.

OK, but perhaps can you say .lib=.a and .so=.dll but you do not need any import libraries in linux.

Libraries under Linux have extensions with .so
or .so.. Example: libGL.so.1.2

If you have /usr/Somewhere/lib/libGL.so.1.2
then somewhere on yer linker line you need
-lGL and -L/usr/Somewhere/lib

Note that the lib prefix of the file name of
libGL.so.1.2 is omitted and also the extension
is omitted as well.

Usually you will find the openGL-headers in /usr/include/GL.
So just include GL/GL.h (or possibly GL/gl.h, I can''t remember right now).
Note that linux is case-sensitive, so be sure that the directory is GL and not gl.

-Neophyte

Did you include the OGL library in the command line for compiling:
gcc mysource.c -o myexecutable -lGL

I tried in vain to compile some oGL programs, and it worked after I included the GL library in the gcc command with the -l option.

I hope this helps

thanks for your help, but i didnt get it to work:-(

my problem is:
i searched for gl.h, libGL etc. and found some files... all in different directories and cant imagine how gcc should find them... so where must these files be?

-lGL doesnt work, gcc sais there are undefined references.
i used this header:
/usr/share/doc/packages/nv_glx/usr/include/GL/gl.h
(how should somebody find that??)
-there is a libGL.so.1.0.1541.nv_glx in /usr/lib, however i dont know how to use it, gcc also doesnt work when i copy the libGL to my working directory.

-in /usr/include are no gl headers

i would like to use the nvidia headers and libs like obelix said.

im totally confused... windows is easier...

cody

yeah, it seams your symlink works, thanks!

About the nvidia OpenGL headers should you move them to your normal GL include directory if you want to use them.

I installed too linux, Mandrake 8.1 and installation was very very easy.

I have a problem with KDevelop. I can''t create new projects/files (lol). The new button on toolbar and menu are grayed.
Maybe there''s something I don''t know yet about Linux
Hepl me to create new project/files.

quote:

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Original post by stefu
I have a problem with KDevelop. I can''t create new projects/files (lol). The new button on toolbar and menu are grayed.

---

That''s odd. Not much lost though, I didn''t like KDevelop much when I tried it (it is overly complex for simple projects). If you get the time, read a tutorial on makefiles (they really aren''t as hard to do as they seem), maybe you''ll like using the command line as much as I do? (Anjuta and ETerm are all I need )

[Resist Windows XP''s Invasive Production Activation Technology!]

No worry I'll do it command line

I just found that I need to first make new project: Project -> ApplicationWizard. I was too common with VisualC ad looked just File -> New

edit:

Actually I found after a moment KDevelop complex, I'll not use it.

PS. Where to get glu.h for linux?

more edit:

Shall I ask where to put all sources, libraries ... in linux, how to organize all. Are there any rules/considerations so that whenever I get a code and it requires some libraries and header files to compile, it comples without any changes? Sorry for dumb question, but I'm quite first timer with Linux

Edited by - stefu on October 31, 2001 9:25:39 AM