Thread: What's harder to learn?

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Posts
    49

    Question What's harder to learn?

    WinAPI, or OpenGL?: )
    // Kavity

  2. #2
    Registered User foniks munkee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Posts
    343
    Ahh.. neither! .. no ... both!

    But seriously - it really depends on your programming background and your current skill level.

    It may be worth knowing WinAPI first if you want to make windows based graphics aps. But that is not 100% necasary as their are a couple of good libraries that can provide a level of abstraction that hides the Windows nastiness.
    "Queen and huntress, chaste and fair,
    Now the sun is laid to sleep,
    Seated in thy silver chair,
    State in wonted manner keep."

  3. #3
    Registered User Dual-Catfish's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Posts
    802
    I would say OpenGL. I bought a 'OpenGL Superbible' last week, although I haven't started reading yet. OpenGL is more mathematically involved then the WinAPI, and the syntax is almost the same. (You'll be working with the WinAPI within OpenGL aswell)

  4. #4
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Posts
    49

    Ok, thanks...

    Thanks... I've started learningboth.. but...
    My background.. .well, I've beenlearning Console (dos) programming for the past 2 years. I got alot of it down... but you can't get everything. I've made alot of programs to test my skill too. And I felt ready to start learning WinAPI or OpenGL. I mainly wanna get into the game progamming industry(I know it would be hard) or atleast make my own games for fun.
    // Kavity
    i'm not stupid, just a little short on brains.
    Kav's game!
    Featuring:
    # - Goodguy mc goodguy
    * - Bad guy mc badguy
    $ - Princess Mc Cess
    @ - Mcdonalds Mc chicken! mmmmmm

  5. #5
    Has a Masters in B.S.
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Posts
    2,263
    WinAPI is infinitly larger and more obfuscated...

    OpenGL makes sense...at least.

    but you may want to have the basics of WinAPI down before you move into OpenGL if you don't plan on using a 3rd party windowing library.
    ADVISORY: This users posts are rated CP-MA, for Mature Audiences only.

  6. #6
    geek SilentStrike's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    1,141
    I don't see why everyone likes learning a big and bloated API just so they can tie their code to a single platform, for an otherwise perfectly portable library. Does writing that however many (much greater than 100) lines just to initailize a window really give you that much more power than a library specifically designed for doing such portably, like GLUT or SDL?
    Prove you can code in C++ or C# at TopCoder, referrer rrenaud
    Read my livejournal

  7. #7
    Registered User foniks munkee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Posts
    343
    If he/she wants to get into games programming then it may be wise to learn a big bloated API. Depends of course on the types of games being created - but PC games do count for a large portion of the market still.
    "Queen and huntress, chaste and fair,
    Now the sun is laid to sleep,
    Seated in thy silver chair,
    State in wonted manner keep."

  8. #8
    geek SilentStrike's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
    1,141
    One can have high performance OpenGL code without WinAPI.

    http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/0...indows_v_linux
    Prove you can code in C++ or C# at TopCoder, referrer rrenaud
    Read my livejournal

  9. #9
    Just a Member ammar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Posts
    953

    Thumbs up

    Hi,
    I've started programming 4 monthe ago, I'm learning API now... it's not as easy as DOS but it's more useful "I think".

  10. #10
    moemen_ahmed
    Guest
    i was wondering whats the environment used for programming winAPI or OpenGL....... and if we use some of api in visual basic for example.............programming WinAPI means to write such libraries.????????? (execuse me for my ignorance )

  11. #11
    ¡Amo fútbol!
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Posts
    2,138
    When most speak of winAPI, they refer to programming with the winAPI functions, structs, ect....

  12. #12
    Registered User Spleeneraclingy's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    16

    Boing

    I've been programming in C++ for 3 months or so and I just started learning OpenGL and I think it's pretty freakin' easy(So far )
    "Life's short and hard, like a bodybuilding elf."

Popular pages Recent additions subscribe to a feed

Similar Threads

  1. Novice trying to learn C++
    By dead in forum C++ Programming
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 12-01-2003, 09:25 PM
  2. suggestions please! how do i learn OS / Languages?
    By nchauhan in forum C++ Programming
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 08-06-2003, 11:17 AM
  3. Trying to learn...C++ in VS .net
    By drez in forum C++ Programming
    Replies: 13
    Last Post: 07-27-2003, 09:40 AM
  4. Trying to learn guitar
    By Ben_Robotics in forum A Brief History of Cprogramming.com
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 07-10-2003, 03:15 AM
  5. Advice on how to being to learn C++
    By VenomUK in forum C++ Programming
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 05-18-2002, 01:06 PM