On the topic on whether the wrapper is legal ... I would assume it has the same status as for instance Wine or DosEmu or other emulators. Wine has been emulating Windows in Linux for quite a long time, never heard anything about any lawsuit, so I assume it's legal. I would assume the same thing about this wrapper, it's equivalent AFAICT.
On the topic of OpenGL. The strength, (and not the drawback as some implies) of the API is that it is extensible. There's absolutely no problem with the API as such or that it's extensible. The problem is that sometimes there's a lack of communication within the ARB. ATI and nVidia exposing their own shading extensions, nVidia silently developing Cg parallel with the GL2 shading language being developed basically undermining the ARB effort etc. Don't blame anything on Carmack, blame it on IHVs. That Carmack made IHV's adopt OpenGL has done loads of good for us. It made it possible to run pro apps on standard PCs. It made gaming in Linux possible strengthening the OS' position, it made graphics develop faster as new technology was immediately available in the API etc etc. Carmack did the right choice, even for gamers. He gives gamers the choice of using Linux.
On the topic of OpenGL. The strength, (and not the drawback as some implies) of the API is that it is extensible. There's absolutely no problem with the API as such or that it's extensible. The problem is that sometimes there's a lack of communication within the ARB. ATI and nVidia exposing their own shading extensions, nVidia silently developing Cg parallel with the GL2 shading language being developed basically undermining the ARB effort etc. Don't blame anything on Carmack, blame it on IHVs. That Carmack made IHV's adopt OpenGL has done loads of good for us. It made it possible to run pro apps on standard PCs. It made gaming in Linux possible strengthening the OS' position, it made graphics develop faster as new technology was immediately available in the API etc etc. Carmack did the right choice, even for gamers. He gives gamers the choice of using Linux.