ABSTRACT
Toward the end of 1996, Microsoft had adopted a policy of supporting Direct3D (D3D) for Windows as a consumer facing technology and OpenGL for NT as a high-end solution. Direct3D was especially in the spotlight for a couple of reasons: One, its launch had been rushed, and two, it had been rushed because of competition, both internally and externally, from supporters of OpenGL. There’s much more to St. John’s lengthy response, including a comparison of D3D and OGL as being like forks and spoons—designed for different purposes. Life at Microsoft in early 1997 might have been business as usual for many people, but in the aftermath of John Carmack’s pro-OpenGL posting, the internal disagreements between the supporters of OpenGL and those who were championing Direct3D were heating up. The argument seems to have begun when Phil Taylor, an evangelist for Direct3D, posted St. John’s original response to Carmack’s message on a public OpenGL forum.
