[vtk-developers] Apple deprecates OpenGL in macOS 10.14

[David Thompson]

Hi Simon,

> OpenGL (and OpenCL) will be deprecated in the next version of macOS (10.14). What is the plan for VTK under MacOS? Metal implementation of rendering backend or drop support for macOS?

OpenGL will still be available in macOS 10.14, so we will still support it via OpenGL at a minimum. Releases after 10.14 are another issue.

Early VTK supported multiple backends, and recent experience with modern OpenGL, WebGL, OSPRay and OptiX ports has given us confidence that we can maintain macOS support. We are already talking about prototypes. We expect the maintenance cost to grow, however. Even with one backend, it takes effort to ensure compliance across multiple operating systems and drivers. Apple dropping OpenGL increases that burden.

	David