Re: New module proposal: LightDM

[Matthew Garrett <mjg59 srcf ucam org>]

On Sun, May 15, 2011 at 01:30:56PM -0500, Brian Cameron wrote:

> Yes, you are right.  GDM does not currently use OpenGL.
> 
> My comment was meant to be understood as an example of how GDM may be
> moving in a direction that requires certain hardware or only works on
> certain operating systems.  Sorry if I was not clear.  For example, I
> also raised concerns that the GDM/ConsoleKit evolution may be moving in
> a Linux-focused direction.
> 
> If GDM is evolving into a display manager with tight GNOME integration
> that works only with specific hardware and/or operating systems, then
> an alternative display manager may be needed by some users.  It is not
> really clear what the future GDM/ConsoleKit plans are in this regards,
> and nobody seems to clarify.

At least as far as OpenGL goes, it's looking fairly likely that the 
llvmpipe rasteriser in mesa will be capable of handling the necessary 
level of performance and functionality such that it's practical to use 
OpenGL effects without hardware 3D.

This obviously only handles the case where the system running the 
display is under our control and can have its GL renderer replaced. If 
we're talking about systems where the display protocol is fixed and the 
thin clients can't easily have their rendering architecture reworked, 
we'd still be throwing a lot of pixels around. My strictly personal 
viewpoint is that GLX has been standardised for a very long time and 
developers really should be able to expect that it exists, but I 
appreciate that real world concerns may make this more of a constraint.

-- 
Matthew Garrett | mjg59 srcf ucam org