Allegro (software)

Allegro is a C-written, free library for programming computer games in C, C and other languages. Allegro's license ( zlib license) restricts use, modification and distribution of the library in any way.

A big advantage is the portability of Allegro. Programs are usually without changes under a variety of operating systems, compile and run. In the current stable version 4.2.0 supports Windows, supports Unix (Linux, FreeBSD, Irix, Solaris, Darwin), Mac OS X, QNX, BeOS and DOS.

The basic services include Allegro's functions and data structures for two-dimensional graphics, sound, user input and the timing of programs. In addition, the library provides support for mathematical calculations, simple 3D computer graphics, compressed data, file systems, and a simple graphical user interface.

Beginner friendly

Allegro fulfilled tasks similar to the Simple DirectMedia Layer, but a little further abstracted from the hardware basics and offers more functionality "out of the box", so less additional libraries are required. Allegro is also comes with a comprehensive and understandable documentation and many example programs. Beginners is Allegro relatively easily accessible for these reasons.

History and legacies

Allegro's roots lie in the early 1990s on the Atari ST. The greatest notoriety reached it as a library for DJGPP, a DOS version of the GNU Compiler Collection. Accordingly, it still has many routines to support DOS. Support for high-performance hardware, for example, to mix colors quickly, and in particular the connection to OpenGL are not as mature as in SDL in pure Allegro. However, the extensions FBlend and AllegroGL compensate this drawback.

Historically grown are some more problems of the current API: Partial terms used are uncommon or outdated. Many of equivalent or similar features could be summarized. Some routines offered, the question arises whether this at all are contemporary for modern systems, whether or not external offers could solve these tasks better. This applies, for example, for fixed-point arithmetic and the software 3D routines. Allegro's user interface has been introduced mainly for the many accompanying tools. There are several powerful extensions ready to make your own programs more appealing.

Future

Many of the disadvantages mentioned are to be resolved in a new version 5. The development of a short active phase in 2001, but progressed relatively slowly from lack of time. Meanwhile, parts of the new version are completed, which were published in the publications 4.3.0, 4.3.1 and 4.9.2.

Allegro 5 is replaced by a completely redesigned API as well as on more recent hardware tailored graphics code and an event-based input and timer system. Simultaneously to the development of Version 5 in the current development branch 4.9, there are also plans to work after appearance of the stable version 4.2.2 on a version 4.4, which is based on the old code, but should integrate some add- ons like AllegroGL.

While the software has been released as " Giftware " she has been published since version 5 under the zlib license.

49369
de