# GLFW for non-OpenGL?

**URL:** <https://discourse.glfw.org/t/glfw-for-non-opengl/260>\
**Category:** support\
**Created:** [December 11, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://discourse.glfw.org/t/glfw-for-non-opengl/260 "2011-12-11T20:17:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/uploads/glfw/original/1X/b8cdefe6b61b8d5aee6c43b2c56e9cf5eabecfe4.svg) [@system](https://discourse.glfw.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://discourse.glfw.org/t/glfw-for-non-opengl/260/1 "2011-12-11T20:17:05Z")

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**[deepsender](https://sourceforge.net/u/deepsender/)** wrote on [Sunday, December 11, 2011](https://sourceforge.net/p/glfw/discussion/247562/thread/5e3dd923/#392b):

hello,

With GLFW, can I get a pointer to a video buffer and write to it without  
OpenGL?

Similar to Windows GDI.

I currently do this with SDL, but want to try GLFW for the same thing.

functions such as:

SDL\_Init( SDL\_INIT\_VIDEO );  
sdlscreen-\>pixels;  
SDL\_FillRect(…);  
SDL\_Flip( sdlscreen );  
etc.

I have used GLFW for OpenGL projects successfully.

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/uploads/glfw/original/1X/b8cdefe6b61b8d5aee6c43b2c56e9cf5eabecfe4.svg) [@system](https://discourse.glfw.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://discourse.glfw.org/t/glfw-for-non-opengl/260/2 "2011-12-11T22:13:50Z")

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**[elmindreda](https://sourceforge.net/u/elmindreda/)** wrote on [Sunday, December 11, 2011](https://sourceforge.net/p/glfw/discussion/247562/thread/5e3dd923/#4a5d):

If you want to do software rendering you should use SDL or another similar  
library. GLFW is not intended for this purpose.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/uploads/glfw/original/1X/b8cdefe6b61b8d5aee6c43b2c56e9cf5eabecfe4.svg) [@system](https://discourse.glfw.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://discourse.glfw.org/t/glfw-for-non-opengl/260/3 "2011-12-13T21:31:09Z")

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**[deepsender](https://sourceforge.net/u/deepsender/)** wrote on [Tuesday, December 13, 2011](https://sourceforge.net/p/glfw/discussion/247562/thread/5e3dd923/#67e0):

Can I assume that GLFW provides a standardized memory address to OpenGL for  
its rendering?

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**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/uploads/glfw/original/1X/b8cdefe6b61b8d5aee6c43b2c56e9cf5eabecfe4.svg) [@system](https://discourse.glfw.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://discourse.glfw.org/t/glfw-for-non-opengl/260/4 "2011-12-14T00:37:54Z")

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**[elmindreda](https://sourceforge.net/u/elmindreda/)** wrote on [Wednesday, December 14, 2011](https://sourceforge.net/p/glfw/discussion/247562/thread/5e3dd923/#c358):

GLFW does not provide framebuffer addresses to OpenGL. That is not how OpenGL  
works. OpenGL is a standardised API intended primarily for hardware-  
accelerated rendering; it’s not a software rendering API with direct access to  
a framebuffer, like SDL is.

You should read about what OpenGL is if you intend to use it.