Definition: DirectX is a programming library for the Win 32 platform that simplifies game programming. It was developed by Microsoft and is up to version 9.0 with version 10 on the way.
It consists of libraries of APIs for managing screen, networking, input and sound devices. Without DirectX the PC would not be a viable games machine. The XBox and XBox 360 games consoles that are manufactured and sold by Microsoft used a modified version of DirectX called XNA and .NET will also use it.
Normally the Windows Operating System does not allow direct access to the underlying hardware for system safety and stability reasons. The DirectX libraries however provide controlled access for speed purposes without endangering the system.
Alternatively there is a cross platform multimedia library - SDL that provides similar services to DirectX but on Linux, AppleMac and Windows.
Glossary:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZExamples:
My new game requires DirectX 9.
