Quote Originally Posted by droidhacker View Post
You're picking on words without spending the time to understand the meaning/context/purpose.

OpenCL and CUDA are both subsets (i.e. implementations/versions/etc.) of "USE GPU AS GENERAL-ish PURPOSE PROCESSOR".

Is it that hard to understand?

Or you can look at it from a different perspective.... CUDA is a version of OpenCL. That might make more sense in the context since CUDA is a restricted proprietary implementation of what should naturally be open. Using the word "version" not to mean "subset", but to mean "interpretation" or "take on".
It's not a "version", "interpretation" or "take on" of Cuda either. It is simply an alternative.
Just as openGL is not a "version", "interpretation" or "take on" of DirectX or openAL is not a "version", "interpretation" or "take on" of Directsound. You wouldn't say "linux is a version of windows" or "openSUSE is a version of Ubuntu" so why would you say openCL is a version of Cuda?

You know how tiring it is dealing with you language nazis? Spend more time worrying about the intention. We're not writing contracts here.
Intention is fine but convey it in a accurate potrayal so that there isn't room for misinterpretation due to misrepresentation of facts.

And FYI: the number of "CUDA APPLICATIONS" is irrelevant if most machines CAN'T RUN THEM!!! It is strictly MORONIC to write software that is restricted to a particular vendor's hardware! And more than that, to a particular set of drivers for that hardware!
It's hardly moronic to write software that is restricted to one vendor when there is no real viable option yet to do otherwise. openCL still is having teething pains on all levels. Even with openCL you still have device specific optimizations that have to be done in the code for it to strut it's stuff.

Last time I checked intel does not nor does it have any plans for implementing openCL support for their products. That leaves really ATI cards the odd man out when it comes to running parallel computing on GPU which is dominated by nvidia cards so yes Cuda is the most widely implemented parallel computing on GPU solution.

Looking into a possible future, openCL has a G3D state tracker, which might hopefully one day mean openCL on intel, AMD, **AND** nvidia OPEN SOURCE drivers, as well as the current AMD blob implementation. That pretty much covers EVERYBODY EXCEPT nvidia blob users. Much more freeing, eh?
Nvidia blob users wouldn't need Gallium so they wouldn't be loosing out on anything. Right now your choices are either to use openCL on CPU if you want to be free of which there really isn't advantage over current parallel implementations for the CPU. If you want to use openCL right now you still have to use propriatary blobs. Now given that there is a higher demand for tasks such as video acceleration in open drivers proper openCL support in them could be quite a while.