DirectX 9
DirectX 9 is a version of DirectX that was introduced in December 2002. The most important change was the implementation of High Level Shading Language (HLSL) which made it easier for developers to create 3D graphics and effects. Previously, developers had to write shaders in a form of assembly language. Another new feature is an API which offers Patch-Meshes, common Polygon-Meshes together with improved realtime-animation capabilities.
Versions[edit | edit source]
Microsoft implemented updates into the DirectX 9.0c branch between 2005 and 2010, instead of releasing a new version like 9.0d.[1] This makes it harder to distinguish between 9.0c releases which work on Windows 98 and those which don't, unless you check for the package release date which is also used for this list.
- 9.0
- 12 Dec 2002: Initial release of version 9, supporting Windows 98, 98 SE, Me, 2000, XP.
- 9.0a
- 30 Apr 2003: Adds support for Windows Server 2003.
- 9.0b
- 3 Oct 2003: Supporting Windows 98, 98 SE, Me, 2000, XP, Server 2003. Included in the Windows Security Update CD for Windows 98 build 1998A, Windows 98 SE build 2222B and Windows Me build 3000A from February 2004.
- 9.0c
- 22 Jul 2004: Windows XP SP2 exclusive.
- 6 Aug 2004: Xbox 360, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP1 and Windows Server 2003 R2 exclusive.
- 20 Dec 2005: First 64-bit version for Windows XP x64 Edition.
- 8 Dec 2006: Last version for Windows 98 RTM, Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows Me, adds support for Windows Vista. An offline installer package is available for download on Microsoft's website.[2]
- 5 Feb 2010: Final version of the 9.0c branch, drops support for Windows 98, 98 SE and Me. Last version for Windows 2000, Windows XP RTM and Windows XP SP1 and has support for Windows 7.
- 9.29
- 7 Jun 2010: Initial release, supporting only Windows XP SP2, Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 at its release. Version 9.29 again receives continuous updates (changing its minor version to currently 9.29.1974.1 as of August 2021) for supported Windows operating systems and meanwhile also supports Windows 8.x and 10. An offline installer package is available for download on Microsoft's website.[3]
Since DirectX 9.0c, offline installer packages usually follow the name pattern directx_date_redist.exe, where date is replaced by the month and year of the package's build date, for example directx_Jun2010_redist.exe or directx_Dec2006_redist.exe.