Mesa is a 3-D graphics library with an API which is very similar to that of OpenGL. To the extent that Mesa utilizes the OpenGL command syntax or state machine, it is being used with authorization from Silicon Graphics, Inc.(SGI). However, the author does not possess an OpenGL license from SGI, and makes no claim that Mesa is in any way a compatible replacement for OpenGL or associated with SGI. Those who want a licensed implementation of OpenGL should contact a licensed vendor.
Please do not refer to the library as MesaGL (for legal reasons). It's just Mesa or The Mesa 3-D graphics libraryand that's all.
Product's homepage
What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]
· Support for many new OpenGL extensions, including: GL_ARB_ES2_compatibility, GL_ARB_color_buffer_float, GL_ARB_draw_buffers_blend, GL_ARB_draw_instanced, GL_ARB_instanced_arrays, GL_ARB_occlusion_query2, GL_ARB_robustness, GL_ARB_sampler_objects, GL_ARB_seamless_cube_map, GL_ARB_shader_texture_lod, GL_ARB_sync, GL_ARB_texture_compression_rgtc, GL_ARB_texture_float, GL_EXT_packed_float, GL_EXT_texture_compression_latc, GL_EXT_texture_compression_rgtc, GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic, GL_EXT_texture_shared_exponent, GL_EXT_texture_sRGB_decode, GL_EXT_texture_snorm, GL_AMD_draw_buffers_blend, GL_AMD_seamless_cubemap_per_texture, GL_AMD_shader_stencil_export, GL_ATI_draw_buffers, GL_ATI_texture_compression_3dc, GL_ATI_texture_float, GL_NV_conditional_render, and GL_NV_texture_barrier. Most of these new extensions are implemented for the Gallium3D drivers, but some of them are brought to the i965 driver (the Intel driver that supports from the 965 series through the latest Sandy Bridge hardware) and also the software rasterizer.
· Of the new OpenGL extensions in Mesa 7.11, some are for supporting OpenGL 3.0, but the overall support requirements are still not met. The OpenGL 3.0 requirements are a whole lot closer to being met with the changes made since Mesa 7.10, but there is still work to be done in bringing up GLSL (GL Shading Language) 1.30 support, depth format cube textures, GLX_ARB_create_context, and various other features. This work could possibly be completed by next January when Mesa 7.12 is due, and if that is the case, it will be released as Mesa 8.0 when GL3 support is complete.
· Mature Intel Sandy Bridge support. The Intel Sandy Bridge (HD 3000) graphics support has been improved a lot since its January launch. Intel SNB graphics are much faster and more stable in Mesa 7.11, as a number of Phoronix articles have shown in recent months.
· There is also initial support for Intel Ivy Bridge within Mesa 7.11. Ivy Bridge is the Sandy Bridge successor that's expected to be released by the end of the calendar year, but initial support for IVB graphics are already in place within Mesa, the xf86-video-intel DDX, and the Linux kernel to ensure a better "out of the box" experience this time around.
· AMD Llano Fusion graphics are now supported by the open-source driver, though there are some kernel problems.
· AMD Radeon HD 6900 "Cayman" graphics card support in the R600 Gallium3D driver.
· The ATI R600 Gallium3D driver is now built by default, which is used on all Radeon ASICs from the HD 2000 through HD 6000 series, including the Fusion APUs. The R600 Gallium3D driver replaces the classic Mesa DRI driver for the same hardware.
· GLSL compiler improvements.
· OpenGL floating-point textures support. This feature, however, must be configured to be enabled (it's disabled by default) at build-time since this implements patented IP.
· Intel Gallium3D driver improvements. Google contributed a number of improvements to the i915 Gallium3D driver, which is not officially supported by Intel, but is used by Google on their Chromebooks.
· Better Nouveau driver support, including some performance optimizations and better support for NVIDIA GeForce 400/500 "Fermi" graphics cards via the Nouveau "NVC0" driver.
· Many bug-fixes.
Find us on Google+
