SDL 2.0.12 Released For This Important Linux/Cross-Platform Gaming Library

[phoronix]

Phoronix: SDL 2.0.12 Released For This Important Linux/Cross-Platform Gaming Library

SDL 2.0.12 is now available as the latest stable update to the Simple DirectMedia Layer that is the library commonly used by cross-platform games as a hardware/software abstraction layer...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=SDL-2.0.12-Released

[tildearrow]

Typo:

Xbox One ELite Series 2,

[TemplarGR]

I have 2 questions about SDL2. 1, once we update it in our systems all games use the newest versions, outside of those who use a specific version on their game paths, correct? Do many commercial games use a system SDL2, or is it sparingly used?

And second, how Wayland support works in SDL2 these days? Games using a certain version of SDL2 and upwards get Wayland support automagically IIRC?

[uid313]

Does it have support for RISC-V?

[-MacNuke-]

And second, how Wayland support works in SDL2 these days? Games using a certain version of SDL2 and upwards get Wayland support automagically IIRC?

If a games uses SDL2 for window and input-handling it is pretty much Wayland-ready. If a game comes with an older version you can just swap it out with a newer one. If a game uses SDL1, you could try SDL1 -> SDL2 wrappers (sdlcl or sdl12-compat).

[R41N3R]

If a games uses SDL2 for window and input-handling it is pretty much Wayland-ready. If a game comes with an older version you can just swap it out with a newer one. If a game uses SDL1, you could try SDL1 -> SDL2 wrappers (sdlcl or sdl12-compat).

Just found sdl12-compat in the AUR (sdl2_compat12-git and lib32-sdl2_compat12-git). Will try it out :-)

[Jabberwocky]

Do many commercial games use a system SDL2, or is it sparingly used?

SDL2? GoldSource engine (Half-Life, CS etc)
SDL2 CryEngine (at least the Linux port)
SDL2 Source Engine (Half-Life 2, CS GO)
SDL2? HPL Engine 2 (Amnesia: The Dark Descent)
SDL2? Factorio (since 0.17 - current stable version)

That's from Wikipedia, I need check the references. The information could be outdated. Source engine has changed dramatically over the ~16 years it has been released.

[ssokolow]

Plus, I forget which version of SDL2 added it, but SDL2 has its own indirection system where, when you call the *_Init functions, the function dispatch gets rewritten subject to the SDL_DYNAMIC_API environment variable to ensure that, even if developers ignore their advice to link dynamically to SDL2, ussers can still upgrade it.

(Or, to be technical, all SDL2 dispatch goes through a jump table and the *_Init functions check the SDL_DYNAMIC_API environment variable and, if it's set, use dlopen or equivalent to load the requested SDL version and update the pointers in the jump table to point to it.)