WebGL and desktop GL will slowly converge? Isn't WebGL already basically just a JS API for OpenGL? Doesn't that make them already relatively converged?
WebGL is a JS binding for OpenGL ES 2, the same version of OpenGL that is used on smartphones. It is not as flexible as OpenGL proper ("desktop GL"), which has more features. OpenGL ES 3 will soon be bringing many of desktop GL's most important extra features to smartphones and the next version of WebGL, and it's not unthinkable that OpenGL ES could eventually take over as the main OpenGL API.
Exactly. Though I think the ES version will probably always lag behind due to Smartphones/Tablets being by necessity less powerful than Desktops/Laptops -- I'm secretly hoping there will eventually be a WebGL that (1) like today guarantees the ES feature set but (2) lets you query and "switch on" full-fledged desktop OpenGL capabilities just like WebGL extensions -- so that we can utilize more/all of the GPU if the GPU happens to be not on a Smartphone/Tablet but on a high-end desktop/laptop. Right now I think this is against Khronos design philosophy behind WebGL -- but eventually one of the implementors (Mozilla or WebKit) may have a strong need for this and add it. Here's hoping.
