0. Introduction to OpenGL ES

OpenGL for Embedded Systems (OpenGL ES)
- an application programming interface (API) for advanced 3D graphics targeted at handheld and embedded devices.
- Supports iOS (now deprecated?), Android, BlackBerry (uhh), bada (uhhhh), Linux, and Windows.
Maintained by Khronos Group, a group that manages OpenGL, a cross-platform standard 3D API for desktop systems running Linux, various flavors of UNIX, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows.
Despite OpenGL is has been the standard 3D API, there was a need for a specialised 3D graphics API for devices with limited resources (i.e. mobile devices / embedded devices). These devices lack in processing capabilities, memory availability, memory bandwidth compared to conventional desktop devices, and is more sensitive to power consumption as well.
- Due to this, OpenGL ES comprises of only the efficient methods, which became a signature characteristic of the API.
OpenGL ES 1.0 and 1.1 uses fixed function pipeline, which is very similar to old OpenGL functions that required use of libraries like GLUT. Since the release of OpenGL ES 2.0, a programmable graphics pipeline was implemented, and on OpenGL ES 3.0, it became very similar to what we call Modern OpenGL, which is OpenGL 3.3 specification.