The OpenGL architecture board better get a
move on. Direct3D 7.0 supports features
that OpenGL 1.2 does not. D3D 8.0 adds more
features.
I really hope GL can get their thumbs out
of their butts and get going folding some
extensions into the specification proper,
and shoring up the major holes, because it
is so much easier writing to GL. But if not,
you can always write your own wrapper for
D3D to make it easier to use; although that
takes time better spent on other things 
There will never be features in the base OpenGL specs. The whole idea is to support features through extensions. This allows hardware vendors to release features much earlier than Direct3D ever could because with OpenGL nobody must wait for the ARB to add features to the API. Features by definition are an extension of the norm. So it would make sense to support features through OpenGL extensions.
/skw|d
I heard in some newsgroups something about a merger between DirectX and OpenGL, something called OpenTM or similar. it should combine features of both APIs. has somebody more information or is this project cancelled? what’s your opinion to this new APi if such a merger takes places? 
I think OpenGL’s base is the best the world has seen. But if it moves on so slowly as it does today, it would lose his general character. The different implementations are differing very much. For example, I’m not able to use all these NV extensions with my Voodoo. If a new OpenGL isn’t coming in faster than it is planned, OpenGL programming will be more and more complicated since you want to support the new extensions but you have also to think of other users not owning a card from NVidida. DirectX shows what is happening if every hardware vendor makes something on his own. They have to do this cause they are in concurence to the other vendors who support for example hardware based shadowing. This leads to the problem that the vendor no 1 has also to implement this. And then it goes on an on an on an afterwards there are 10000 extensions nobody can support.
It’s called Fahrenheit but SGI got out from partnership with Microsoft. Now it’s a new initiative called OpenML with nVidia,3Dfx aso.
And about extensions they are good because the next day a producer launces a new card with new extensions you can use them. At directX you have to wait for a new releas e of the product to take advantage for the new extesion. And if the market is 30% one producer and 40% other and 30% some various each with it’s own features what can Microsoft do? Then you HAVE to implement the extesion system or to emulate them softrware from your product.
NewROmancer