Less is more with OpenCL 3.0: Implementing the 2.x spec was tricky – so now everything beyond 1.2 is optional

The Khronos Group has pushed out the Open CL 3.0 provisional specification, a major update to the cross-platform API used for accelerating software performance by using the concurrent programming capabilities of GPUs and CPUs. OpenCL is part of a family of projects that also includes SPIR-V, an intermediate representation that …

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

So just like OpenGL.

It's a standard but you have to check for every single feature being available before using it or program to the lowest common denominator.

Then certain makers <cough >Microsoft <cough > who implement the single lowest feature and then claim OpenGL compliance

[bazza]

Re: So just like OpenGL.

Presumably MS are more interested in pushing their own Direct APIs? I can't blame them, no one's telling them they can't do that.

However in some fields they've pretty much voluntarily plumped solidly for cross platform (e.g. .NET), so perhaps in times yet to come they may very well start open up Direct... But it'd take an enormous effort from large swathes of the industry to re-write code against a new API, or change OSes and drivers to implement Microsoft's current API on Linux, MAC.

There probably ought to be an industry wide conference on the matter, with free lunch.

[Henry Wertz 1]

Makes sense

Makes sense. I'm seeing new systems for sale with actually lower specs than a few years back; systems with a low-speed (like 1.2ghz or so) dual core and like 2GB of RAM are showing back up on the market. That's what happens when a vendor tries compete pricewise with something like a Chromebook while also paying the Microsoft tax! These will probably have the slowest GPU they could get Intel or AMD to put in there.

So, absolutely I could see it being useful to have everything spec'ed out but keep the minimum requirements low.