Editing DirectFB

{{Short description|Software library}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = DirectFB
| logo                   = 
| screenshot             = 
| caption                = 
| collapsible            = 
| author                 = Denis Oliver Kropp
| developer              = 
| released               = 
| latest release version = 1.7.7
| latest release date    = {{start date and age|2015|02|1}}
| latest preview version = 
| latest preview date    = 
| programming language   = [[C (programming language)|C]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ohloh.net/p/5134 |title=Ohloh Analysis Summary - DirectFB |access-date=2009-09-02 |archive-date=2012-10-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010133209/http://www.ohloh.net/p/5134 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| operating system       = [[Linux]], [[macOS]]
| platform               = 
| size                   = 
| language               = 
| genre                  = [[Library (computing)|Library]]
| license                = [[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL]]
| repo                   = {{URL|https://github.com/deniskropp/DirectFB}}
| website                = {{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20170328110009/http://www.directfb.net/ |DirectFB web}} (archive.org)
| discontinued           = no
}}

{{Infobox software
| name                   = DirectFB2
| developer              = Nicolas Caramelli
| latest release version =
| latest release date    =
| repo                   = {{URL|github.com/directfb2}}
| website                = {{URL|directfb2.github.io}}
}}

'''DirectFB''' ('''Direct Frame Buffer'''), now continued as '''DirectFB2''', is a [[Library (computing)|software library]] with a small [[memory footprint]] that provides [[graphics acceleration]], [[input device]] handling and [[abstraction layer]], and integrated [[windowing system]] with support for translucent windows and multiple display layers on top of the [[Linux framebuffer]] without requiring any [[kernel (operating system)|kernel]] modifications.<ref>{{cite web
 | url          = http://www.directfb.net/
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20161104003307/http://www.directfb.net/
 | url-status   = dead
 | archive-date = 2016-11-04
 | title        = directfb.net}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | url          = https://elinux.org/DirectFB
 | website      = elinux.org
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20230320113047/https://elinux.org/DirectFB
 | url-status   = live
 | archive-date = 2023-03-20
 | title        = DirectFB}}</ref> DirectFB is [[free and open-source software]] subject to the terms of the [[GNU Lesser General Public License]] (LGPL).

The library allows developers an alternative to a full [[X Window System]] (X11) server used in [[Unix-like]] [[operating system]]s. DirectFB allows applications to talk directly to video hardware through a direct [[Application programming interface|API]], speeding up and simplifying graphic operations.

It is often used by [[Video game|games]] and [[embedded system]]s developers to circumvent the overhead of a full [[X Window System]] server implementation.{{fact|date=March 2017}}  In 2006, a version of DirectFB was included in the software stack for the [[CE Linux Forum]]'s Audio/Video Graphics Specification V2.<ref>{{cite web
 | url          = http://tree.celinuxforum.org/CelfPubWiki/AudioVideoGraphicsSpec_V2
 | title        = AudioVideoGraphicsSpec_V2 - CE Linux Public<!-- Bot generated title -->
 | access-date  = 2008-06-06
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080704172518/http://tree.celinuxforum.org/CelfPubWiki/AudioVideoGraphicsSpec_V2
 | archive-date = 2008-07-04
 | url-status   = dead}}</ref>

DirectFB can host [[XDirectFB]], a rootless X server implementation that uses DirectFB windows for X11 top-level windows. XDirectFB is an interface that mimics the X11 interface through the DirectFB API to simplify running applications written for X11 on DirectFB.<ref>[http://directfb.org/wiki/index.php/Configuring_DirectFB Configuring DirectFB] {{webarchive
 | url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20141018073321/http://directfb.org/wiki/index.php/Configuring_DirectFB
 | date = 2014-10-18}}</ref>

[[DirectFBGL]] is an [[OpenGL]] extension for DirectFB/XDirectFB that uses [[Direct Rendering Infrastructure]] (DRI) in the [[Mesa 3D]] library to support OpenGL hardware acceleration.

Among the products that use DirectFB are [[LinuxTV]], [[Ben Nanonote]], the unreleased [[Palm Foleo]] mobile companion, the [[webOS]] operating system, Panasonic Viera Connect TVs and the [[Philips]] TVs based on jointSPACE.<ref>[http://jointspace.sourceforge.net/ jointSPACE web site]</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
* [[Direct Rendering Manager]]
* [[KMS driver]]
* [[General Graphics Interface]]
* [[Linux framebuffer]]
* [[SVGALib|SVGAlib]], a low-level graphics library which runs on Linux and FreeBSD

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://elinux.org/DirectFB DirectFB explained in detail on Embedded Linux Wiki]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Directfb}}
[[Category:Free computer libraries]]
[[Category:Graphics libraries]]
[[Category:Linux APIs]]