I know this is a wierd question, but is there an alternative to the big 3? The reasons: - Don''t like microsoft - Allegro is BLOATware - GLUT is (in my experience) EVIL!!! Any suggestions? (By input, I mean keyboard and mouse )

The Windows message API. It is your friend. It is also bloody slow and unreliable. But you could use it.

If you don't want to use Windows's nice smooth driver layer which guarantees that you will have proper input from the devices, you can always write your own real-mode ASM drivers that poll the appropriate ports. Of course, that would require support for XT, PS2, and USB keyboards, as well as translation of keycodes from the thousands of layouts that exist. Oh, and be sure to write code to handle the COM, PS2, USB, and laptop-internal-hacked-into-the-PS2-bus mice.

Almost forgot: you'll have to deal with mice and keyboards that send data at varying frequencies, mice with differing mickey ratios (if indeed they still vary these days, the last time I programmed direct mouse input was back in the Win16 era), and even the dreaded multi-button mouse.


Well well, that's a boatload of work ain't it? That's kind of what DirectInput et. al. were created for, ya know?



[edited by - ApochPiQ on May 26, 2003 10:48:53 AM]

quote:Original post by fana
I know this is a wierd question, but is there an alternative to the big 3?

The reasons:
- Don't like microsoft
- Allegro is BLOATware
- GLUT is (in my experience) EVIL!!!

Any suggestions?

(By input, I mean keyboard and mouse )

they are not any good reasons to leave an api. use your head not your emotions or Use ASM.

[edited by - DirectXXX on May 26, 2003 10:58:43 AM]

Sorry, forgot to mention that win32 is evil as well...

If no other options, i''m to lazy to do it my self...

So it looks like directinput for me then.