The HGL gives the programmer access to the most interesting parts of the Win32 and X11 library without exposing the programmer to the pain and anguish usually associated with using these interfaces. The library is distributed as open source and is suitable for use in teaching and in applications.

The library currently supports:

• Filled and unfilled 2-dimensional objects (text, lines, polygons, ellipses).
• Bitmaps (Win32 version only, for now).
• Control over text alignment, fonts, color.
• Simple input events (keyboard, mouse, window resize) to support reactivity.
• Timers and double-buffering to support simple animation.
• Use of concurrency to avoid the usual inversion of the code associated with event-loop programming.
• Multiple windows may be handled at one time.

To keep the library simple and portable, the library makes no attempt to support:

• User interface widgets (menus, toolbars, dialog boxes, etc.)
• Palette manipulation and other advanced features.
• Many kinds of input event.

Enjoy!