Does this require X11 or not?

[hholst80]

I am not clear on whatever this tool requires X11 or not? To compile I get this error:

# make SYSTEM=linux-egl
cc -shared -Wl,-soname=libGLEW.so.2.2 -o lib/libGLEW.so.2.2.0 tmp/linux-egl/default/shared/glew.o -L/usr/X11R6/lib64 -L/usr/lib64 -lEGL -lGL 
/usr/bin/ld: cannot find -lGL: No such file or directory
collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status
make: *** [Makefile:123: lib/libGLEW.so.2.2.0] Error 1
root@xps ~/glew-2.2.0 [2]
# 

AI backstory (not sure if this is correct or not)

---

Short answer: yes. libGL.* is the legacy GLX client library, so it’s tied to X11.

Details:

• GLX/X11: libGL.so (and the rare libGL.a) implement OpenGL via GLX. Build needs X11/GLX headers; runtime needs an X server (or Xwayland).

• Wayland or non-X11: don’t link -lGL. Use EGL:

  • Desktop GL: -lOpenGL -lEGL
  • OpenGL ES: -lGLESv2 -lEGL
  • Headless/off-screen: -lOSMesa

• GLVND note: modern stacks provide libOpenGL.so (window-system-neutral API), libGLX.so (GLX), and libEGL.so (EGL). Use the one matching your window system.

• Static: libGL.a is often not shipped and generally unsupported due to driver dispatch being dynamic.

Headers:

• API: <GL/gl.h> (neutral)
• GLX/X11: <GL/glx.h> + X11 headers
• EGL: <EGL/egl.h> and Wayland headers if Wayland.

[nigels-com]

OpenGL is supported but GLES is not.
GLEW can be built for either GLX or EGL, but GLX/X11 is the default.
SYSTEM=linux-egl means OpenGL and EGL.