OpenEuphoria

RE: Help

• Posted by Brian Broker <bkb at cnw.com> Jan 31, 2002
• 477 views

I hate to be redundant here but it looks like Topica cut out a bunch of 
the text in my last reply...

API = Application Programming Interface

Windows API
Purpose
The Microsoft Windows application programming interface (API) provides 
building blocks used by applications written for Microsoft Windows, 
including Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows 95, Windows 98, 
and Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me). You can provide your 
application with a graphical user interface; display graphics and 
formatted text; and manage system objects such as memory, files, and 
processes.

Where Applicable
The Windows API can be used in all Windows-based applications. The same 
functions are generally supported on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.

Developer Audience
This API is designed for use by C/C++ programmers. Familiarity with the 
Windows graphical user interface and message-driven architecture is 
required.

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GDI = Grapics Device Interface

Windows GDI
Purpose
The Microsoft Windows graphics device interface (GDI) enables 
applications to use graphics and formatted text on both the video 
display and the printer. Windows-based applications do not access the 
graphics hardware directly. Instead, GDI interacts with device drivers 
on behalf of applications. 

Where Applicable
GDI can be used in all Windows-based applications.

Developer Audience
This API is designed for use by C/C++ programmers. Familiarity with the 
Windows graphical user interface and message-driven architecture is 
required. 

   ----------

DX = DirectX

DirectX gives software developers a consistent set of APIs (application 
programming interfaces) that provides them with improved access to the 
advanced features of high-performance hardware such as 3-D graphics 
accelerators and sound cards. These APIs control what are called 
"low-level functions", including graphics memory management and 
rendering; support for input devices such as joysticks, keyboards, and 
mice; and control of sound mixing and sound output. The low-level 
functions are grouped into components that make up DirectX: Microsoft 
Direct3D, Microsoft DirectDraw, Microsoft DirectInput, Microsoft 
DirectMusic, Microsoft DirectPlay, Microsoft DirectSound, and Microsoft 
DirectShow.

DirectX provides developers with tools that help them get the best 
possible performance from the machines they use. It provides explicit 
mechanisms for applications to determine the current capabilities of 
your system’s hardware so they can enable optimal performance.

Before DirectX, developers creating multimedia applications for PCs had 
to customize their products so that the products would work well on the 
wide variety of hardware devices and configurations available on Windows 
machines. DirectX provides a "hardware abstraction layer" (HAL for 
short) that uses software drivers to communicate between game software 
and computer hardware. As a result, developers can use the single 
consistent paradigm of DirectX to implement their products across a wide 
range of hardware devices and configurations.

   ----------

So to answer your question:  DirectX would use a function that would try 
to take advantage of the user's video hardware to get faster blits 
(using hardware stretching vs. software stretching).

Hope this cleared things up...
-- Brian