I’ve seen here already “An SDK”…
With DirectX, you download their SDK and it contains the usual headers etc, plus 3billion megs of sample applications and DOCUMENTATION.
I’d love to download documentation for offline viewing…
Does this already exist?
if so, please ignore this post (Except posting link to documentation)
Thanks…
Mr Dave (funky hardcore beer drinker) C.
Main OpenGL page: http://www.opengl.org/
Column on left hand side: Coding Features
A link among others: http://www.opengl.org/documentation/specs/version2.0/glspec20.pdf
Also try: http://www.opengl.org/
Menu header: Documentation
Might I also suggest if you are serious buying the Red/Blue/Orange OpenGL books. (They have a very long shelf life - my old 1.2 books are still very useful)
If you are starting: http://nehe.gamedev.net/
If you are into demos: http://www.humus.ca/ , http://www.delphi3d.net/ (among others)
Try this
http://www.larswolter.de/index.php?sel_view=2.Uni-Projekte
At the bottom, “Formatierte OpenGL Extensions”
A specification is not the most reasonable form of documentation.
agreed. and i really dislike pdf files.
an updated set of help files for visual studio would be nice, with 2.0 and all extensions summarized, without the extraneous specification cruft, along with nice, easy to read sample code in c++ and c#.
heck, even an html version of the spec would be an improvement.
the thing is, who has the time/money to do all that?
A specification is not the most reasonable form of documentation.
You mean glspec20.pdf
The link I gave is for a CHM file. Someone had compiled all the extension spec together. It’s nice. I even keep a link on my start menu but isn’t up to date anymore.
Originally posted by Korval:
A specification is not the most reasonable form of documentation.
That depends on the point of view.
When the Spec is well written (as for example the OpenGL spec is), I really prefer reading the spec instead of help files or man pages when I quickly need some information.
Of course, for learning OpenGL, the spec is not really good. For this I agree that the Red/Orange books are better (I haven’t ever read the Blue book, can’t say if it’s useful…).
I personally love a specification as documentation… however, sometimes, I just want a reference! Sometimes, minute internal details are irrelevant; sometimes, I just want to lookup a name or value simply because I forgot it. Having to wade through a specification is a real PITA in these cases. Having a simple reference would compliment the specification greatly. Being able to look at the spec is friggin awesome. However, there are times when a specification is just overkill for my needs and wastes my time. I assume others share this sentiment?
Kevin B
For this I agree that the Red/Orange books are better
not to put too fine a point on it, but the opengl rainbow series is not exactly free. these are great books, and it’s admittedly a modest price to pay for what you get, but there is a price to pay nonetheless.
so what you get for free is the spec. and i agree with ebray99; the spec is a cumbersome, unwieldy reference, at best.
the trouble is that no matter the solution you come up with, it falls to someone to create and maintain it. not a post relished by a typical arb member, i reckon.
The Red book is online and has been for years. Do a search “red book”+online+opengl
It’s version 1.1, but it’s enough to teach newbs the basics of GL.
I have downloaded it but I think it’s not the entire book.
The OP probably hasn’t used DX much I think and thinks there is good documentation with the SDK. It’s garbage. In each SDK they release, they remove some of the examples and add new ones. The only way to get the old demoes is to download the older 200 MB SDKs.
v-man, surely you jest 
do you mean to say that having beginners plod through legacy opengl fixed function code in an outmoded, incomplete online tome from yesteryear is better than microsoft’s document explorer, with indexed and cross-referenced api details and demos of the very latest in programmable pipeline technology? i don’t think so 
anyway, while this is not really the point of this thread, i think it’s pointless and detrimental to marginalize beginners. imho, opengl beginners should be starting out with glsl and vbos. but afaik, there’s no free documentation but the specification and whatever disjointed demos and snippets they can drum up online, hence many beginners will shy away from glsl and other “advanced” features, despite the fact that they’re insanely easy to learn, easier even than the all that convoluted fixed-function rigmarole.
the desire to defend opengl is admirable, but misguided in this case. everything has room for improvement. it’s the biggest room in the universe! try to remember that there are folks that have other things to do besides think about opengl all day