Annoying thing about reading the OpenGL 3.0 specification

Post date: Oct 13, 2008 6:17:55 AM

UPDATE: I rescind my prior complaints, it turns out there is a version of the specification with all the changes in an eye-catching purple, available here. Why anyone would want to read the non-purple spec is beyond me. Although more curious is why the spec page has no link to it.

UPDATE 2: For posterity I'm posting links to the OpenGL 3.0 specifications, and GLSL 1.3 specification (both with nifty edit colors) here where I won't (hopefully) lose them.

OpenGL 3.0 Specification (with changes)

GLSL 1.30.8 Specification (with changes)

I've been reviewing the OpenGL Specification with an eye on the deprecated features so that I'll be prepared when it comes time to modify my coding practices to maintain compatibility. The stupid thing is that as you read through the specification there is no mention of a features deprecation status. The feature is simply described as if it is and always will be.

Until you get to appendix E and you realize that all that stuff you've been reading about is actually slated to disappear a few versions later. So you end up constantly referring to appendix E to see if you should actually care about the functions you're reading about. For example, when describe the function of Vertex Arrays in OpenGL 3.0, is it not at least worth a mention, in the Vertex Array section, that these features are deprecated and slated for removal? It would be very nice to see version of the specification in which all deprecated features are simply omitted, it would make for a shorter read, and make it clearer what features we need to focus on.

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