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    DirectX

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    Microsoft's proprietary 3D graphics API used in computer and console games.

    Short summary describing this concept.

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    Summary  

    A group of API's that are used to take care of tasks mostly related to multimedia and game programing on Windows or other Microft products.  The X in DirectX is relative to all the different API's that go with it like Direct3D or DirectDraw.  The names for Microsoft's consoles the Xbox and Xbox360 actually came from the fact that the platforms themselves use DirectX to run the games. 

    DirectX API's  

    • Direct3D

    • DirectDraw

    • DirectMusic

    • DirectPlay

    • DirectSound



    DirectX Versions

     
    VersionRelease Date (Approximate)
     DirectX 1.0  
    September 30, 1995
     
    DirectX 2.0
     
    1996
     
    DirectX 2.0a
     
    June 5, 1996
     
    DirectX 3.0
     
    September 15, 1996
     
    DirectX 3.0a
     
    December 1996
     
    DirectX 3.0b
     
    December 1996
     
    DirectX 5.0
     
    July 16, 1997
     
    DirectX 5.2
     
    May 5, 1998
     
    DirectX 6.0
     
    August 7, 1998
     
    DirectX 6.1
     
    February 3, 1999
     
    DirectX 6.1a
     
    May 5, 1999
     
    DirectX 7.0
     
    September 22, 1999
     
    DirectX 7.0a
     
    March 8, 2000
     
    DirectX 7.1
     
    September 14, 2000
     
    DirectX 8.0
     
    November 12, 2000
     
    DirectX 8.0a
     
    February 5, 2001
     
    DirectX 8.1
     
    October 25, 2001
     
    DirectX 8.1a
     
    2002
     
    DirectX 8.1b
     
    June 25, 2002
     
    DirectX 8.2
     
    2002
     
    DirectX 9.0
     
    December 19, 2002
     
    DirectX 9.0a
     
    March 26, 2003
     
    DirectX 9.0b
     
    August 13, 2003
     
    DirectX 9.0c
     
    August 4, 2004
     
    DirectX 10
     
    November 30, 2006
     
    DirectX 11
     
    October 27, 2009
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