[openbeos] Re: 3d engine
- From: "Michael Phipps" <mphipps1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: openbeos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 21:26:34 -0500
Of course, Nathan is right in saying that code is required for an API to do
something.
What do you define as an "engine"? The definitions that I infer from what is
written would
imply that any significant code is an engine. App_server, I think, could be
called an "engine".
To say that we should have no "engines" would imply that the OS does nothing,
literally.
What to include and not include is almost a philosophical question.
Certainly, no one would argue that we should not include the kernel. After
that, I think that
few people will agree on what an "optimal" package would include. Most people
want
networking. Most people want a GUI. Most people want printing. That stuff is
all pretty simple.
Every OS out there includes those things. But what about gaming APIs? On a pure
business machine,
they may well be wasted. Or ODBC, on a gamer's machine. Or MIDI on a kiosk?
The way that I (personally) see it, the "cost" of including the package should
be outweighed by its
usefulness. Most people will use networking. So the fact that it takes up (with
all of the tools and all)
N megabytes of the install are worthwhile. If we did not include networking, a
majority of people would
need to install it. On one side of the equation (the DON'T include side), you
have size of the package,
CPU cycles when unused and making the package bigger. On the other side (the DO
include side) you have
convenience, utility out of the box, the ability for standardization and
increasing the popularity of the API.
So, generally, I would think that packages that are fairly small, fairly good
quality and fairly useful should
be installed by default. The bigger, the more unstable, and the more obscure,
the less likely that they should
be installed.
>In my dictionnary (ok, ok ... we can go far with that :-) I think a game
>engine is too specialized for a "basic" OS package. We have to concentrate
>on more generic services that can be used for. Like DirectX is a generic API
>for games development, but not an engine itself.
>
>But if we plan for a huge packaging (like Linux distros), sure we can bundle
>anything else, including this engine...
>
>I just want for those "extra" to remain extra and not be considered as
>"native" in the heart of the OS...
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Nathan Whitehorn" <nathan.whitehorn@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2002 7:02 PM
>Subject: [openbeos] Re: 3d engine
>
>> > I think it's a bad idea to include any "engine". In my book an OS
>> > provide APIs. Period.
>>
>> And in my book those APIs are tied to a system that *does* something.
>> What are the media_server, the app_server, or the net_server if not
>> 'engines' for media, graphics, and networking, repsectively?
>> -Nathan
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