Can I program/compile OpenGL 4.0 code on my computer without a graphics card or MESA?

Question

I recently began working with Open GL 4.0 using the Redbook 8th edition. From the start of the morning until now I wasn't able to compile the 'HelloWorld' of OpenGL programs.

I configured the dependencies, transferred file contents of freeGlut/GLEW/GLSL to the respective VC folder for my VS 2013 C++ IDE. I eventually became convinced that the catalyst for this breakdown of events happened because VS was referencing multiple lib files in different locations and the linker couldn't make heads- to tails of what it was referencing.

However I realized another issue that I was naive/ignorant about. Could I be having compiling issues not because of my dependency configuration but because I only have a built in chipset instead of a card and no MESA?

I don't know if my built-in chipset supports openGL 4.0

Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000

EDIT: My compiltation errors within VS 2013 give no 'clue' that its a hardware issue. All of them are LNK2005 issues.

Answer 1

You can compile GL4 programs all day long. Totally independent of what graphics hardware you may or may not have. Hell, you can cross-compile Win32 OpenGL programs from a headless Linux box using MinGW if you really wanted to!

Whether or not you can run those programs is a function of your GL implementation.

Wiki claims you can do GL 4.0 with your HD 4000 on Windows.