7.2. Versions

The OpenGL specification has been revised several times since its inception in 1992. The OpenGL ARB assigns a version number to each major revision and publishes its specification. Download current and past OpenGL specifications at the OpenGL Web site: http://www.opengl.org. Appendices C through I of The OpenGL Graphics System summarize the changes to each version of the specification.

Unfortunately, there is significant lag time between the approval of a new version of the specification and widespread industry adoption of that new version. As a result, most multiplatform OpenGL applications must support several OpenGL versions at runtime. To accomplish this, employ the tactics described in the section “Extensions” earlier in this chapter. To reiterate: