Window

This project aims to be a fully cross-platform library for creating windows. We'll take the best ideas of other libaries and apply them liberally here, while maintaining Odin idioms.

GLFW — great reference for minimalism

Why it’s valuable

• Very tight scope: windows, input, cursors, monitors, timing
• Clear separation between windowing and rendering
• Proven longevity and stability
• Easy to reason about

Why not copy it directly

• C-style global state + callbacks
• Pull-based input querying (glfwGetKey) feels un-Odin
• Callback soup doesn’t map well to Odin’s structured control flow

What to steal from GLFW:

• Small, opinionated surface area
• “We don’t manage your renderer” stance
• Simple lifecycle rules

If you want something that feels like core:window, GLFW is the right size reference.4

winit — best conceptual model for Odin

Why winit maps well to Odin

• Event-driven core
• Explicit event loop ownership
• Strong separation of:
• OS events
• User events
• Window lifecycle
• Backend-agnostic (X11, Wayland, Win32, Cocoa, etc.)

Even though it’s Rust, its design philosophy fits Odin extremely well.

• Structured control flow
• No hidden globals
• Deterministic ownership
• Backend-specific code isolated cleanly

What to adapt (not copy)

• Central event loop as the spine
• Typed events instead of callbacks
• Backend modules per platform
• Explicit control over blocking vs polling