The solution
In the 1980s each vendor had its own 3D API, so game and CAD developers had to rewrite for each graphics card.
SGI took its proprietary IRIS GL and released it as OpenGL, an open specification any vendor could license and implement.
A neutral Architecture Review Board oversaw it, so the standard stayed cross-platform and not tied to one company.
What it achieved
Publish one licensed, portable 3D API for every vendor
Why it worked
Cross-platform licensing removed the reason to stay with one vendor's API.
A neutral review board kept the standard from being captured by any player.
It freed game and CAD developers to write once for many graphics cards.
It first scaled on professional workstations, giving it a strong institutional base.
What can be applied
Open your proprietary API to a neutral standard and every vendor adopts it, which is worth more than exclusivity.
Aftermath
OpenGL remained the industry's 3D API for over two decades, was followed in the low-level role by Khronos' Vulkan, and its licensing model shaped how open graphics standards are governed.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The sources
- OpenGL — The Industry's Foundation for High Performance Graphics khronos.org
- About Khronos and open interoperability standards opengl.org
- Climbing Longs Peak: The Steep Road to the Future of OpenGL ieeexplore.ieee.org