What's the best (more reliable & robust) API (2D/3D GFX- Joystick handling - AUDIO) for the PC and the MAC ?

How good is SDL ? is it a good cross platform API ?

I use SDL cross platform for window setup and input. I think it's a fantastic API.
For graphics (2D or 3D) I use OpenGL.
For sound I use OpenAL.

Thanks for your input Nicks,
which compiler do you use on the MAC (C++ CodeWarrior ?) ? and which one do you use on the PC (Visual C++ from the Microst Dev Studio)

Most people use GCC on the Mac. CodeWarrior is effectively dead as of the Intel switch from what I understand.

Some of my masochistic friends like to use GCC directly from the command line, however the vast majority tend to use it indirectly through Xcode, Apple's bundled IDE.

The only Windows development I've ever done was using VisualBasic, and, well, I wouldn't recommend taking that path :-p

For Windows, Visual C++ is probably the best one you can get. Hurry and grab the free beta while you can, though, since it's expensive. (assuming it's still available)

For the Mac, as mentioned, it has to be GCC if you want to support Intel Macs. I suppose if you really wanted to, you could get Code Warrior and create an application using that for PowerPC, then use XCode to create an Intel version (either with GCC or by buying Intel's compiler) and lipo them together to form a universal binary, but I strongly discourage that.

Visual C++ express is free, but I highly recommend Dev-C++ for SDL, with its nice packages options.

Of course I'll plug my own API (or the one I helped make anyway ) though it's not as easy for a beginner due to a lack of docs and examples:

http://svn.allusion.net/svn/kos/tiki/

FYI (not to be overly picky) it's Mac and not MAC. PC is an acronym while Mac is short for Macintosh.