While modern versions (4.6+) and new APIs like offer more power, OpenGL 2.0 has unique advantages:

: Allowed developers to use textures of any size (e.g., 200x300), rather than being forced to use dimensions that were powers of two (e.g., 256x512). Multiple Render Targets (MRT)

The committee fell silent. It was risky. It was ambitious. It was… brilliant.