First, let me say that the reorganization of text and code embodied in the Sixth Edition of the OpenGL Superbible was a good move. Oh, I have a few gripes and grumbles relating to the reorganization (e.g., it seems like Chapter 5 will never end. It could be split, deferring pieces to later and appropriate contexts.) The reorganization of the sample code is a good step forward. There is less dependence on mysterious libraries. And, the essential support code has been reorganized into a more attractive “framework.”
Be prepared for a lot of emphasis on shader programming. Face up to it: It’s the nature of the modern beast. If you’re not ready for that, one suggestion is to start with an earlier edition – one that focuses on earlier versions of OpenGL, and then grow to love it.
Having gone through many (aborigines are said to have a ternary number system: 1, 2, many) editions of the Superbible, I find it necessary to keep a copy of a corresponding Redbook (OpenGL Programming Guide) edition handy. In that sense, I find the Superbible to be an essential learning aid. But …
It was indeed unfortunate to find that the current authors and publisher continued to follow the habits of previous authors and publishers of walking away from what I view as their responsibility to their readership:
1. Others have complained about the quality of the black and white illustrations. They were correct: the printing of screenshots is terrible. The majority of the current authors are experienced authors. (a) They should have avoided the problem. (b) The editor should have caught the problem before going to press. (c) The printer should have called attention to the problem before committing to a run.
2. There is no consistent way of tying a screenshot or a code listing to a project name in the source code provided as a download on the book’s web site. I made it a point to deduce, by one means or another, the project name from the text or code if the project name was not explicitly mentioned (which was the usual case). The authors could have provided an index in the download’s README file.
3. In the Preface, an author states, “We made a bunch of mistakes – we’re certain of it. … If you think you see something that doesn’t quite gel, check the book’s Web site for errata.” I’m writing this review in June 2014, almost a year after publication of the book. There are no errata on the web site. Moreover, there is no mechanism for submitting errata.
4. The code I downloaded (dated November 2013) built on Visual Studio 2010 successfully. All but a few projects executed without error. I found the distribution for VS 2010 available on GitHub to be useless: Apparently the last person to build it built it with VS 2013. I considered submitting an issue, but got discouraged when I saw that the last commits were made seven or eight months ago.
5. The book’s Appendix C describes two tools, ktxtool and dds2ktx, which it says is available in the source code. Not so.
6. I searched for but could not find an OpenGL Superbible forum. The best I could find was the general OpenGL forum. The last blog entry on the book’s web site is dated February 2014. Apparently the authors have better things to do.
In scoring a rating for this edition of the OpenGL Superbible, I started with five stars. After all, I consider it and the Redbook to be essential components to learning OpenGL. Then, because of the lousy illustrations and the authors’ neglect, I backed off two stars. A one-star deduction would not have been enough.
It occurs to me that all of the problems enumerated above could be resolved on the book’s web site. I would be glad to improve my rating if the authors (or even someone else) would step up to addressing them.
ISBN-13: 978-0321902948
ISBN-10: 0321902947
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Customer reviews
Fixed-width fonts completely broken on Kindle (used to work)
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2021
I don't know what has happened to the 6th edition Kindle formatting, but the formatting of fixed-width fonts (code samples and references to code in the text) is completely broken and has essentially made the book close to useless (see attached screenshot). I've tested iOS and iPad apps, Kindle paperwhite, and the web reader, with the same exact results in all cases.
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2021
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Top reviews from other countries
LR
Does the job
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2014Verified Purchase
Brian T
Great book for openGL wish other books on Open libaries was as good!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2015Verified Purchase
M.A
Good buy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2016Verified Purchase
bogflap
Very good reference and explanation
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2015Verified Purchase
Christopher Denker
Eher mäßig
Reviewed in Germany on March 25, 2017Verified Purchase
