Sex up an array?

[wtd]

What kind of abilities do you feel you really need?

[Justin_]

It would depend on the application now wouldn't it?

Basically the way it works is: some (forgive me for saying, but, limited) programs would be your cross platform library candidates and other more extended applications for windows would be very difficult to port.

My favorite saying when programming in windows is, "When in Rome."

[md]

Unfortunately the POSIX layer is all but usless in windows now, but it used to be the case that windows provided a mostly POSIX conforment API so that most things that didn't rely on the GUI API were almost completely cross platform with only minor changes.

In fact many the programs that matter most are largely independent of hte operating system and only need to interact with it for IO; things like servers, etc. Applications that requier a complex GUI (like a text editor) *could* be written using the win32 API, or they could be written to use a crossplatform GUI (like say GTK or QT) which do all the same things as the win32 API but are mostly cross platform.

Oh, and just because you are in rome, doesn't mean you have to make the same mistakes that they make

[Justin_]

ok that sounds terrific. Cross platform code? Someone write a tutorial on using cross platform libraries instead of the API.

It would stop noobs like me from using the API,

[bugzpodder]

wtd wrote:

First off...

Being insane is not a bad thing.

Second, I view this from the perspective of Win32 API knowledge being largely useless. There is a lot to be learned out there that is not tied to a proprietary operating system that moves at a snail's pace technologically and is tied to a massive company in slow bureaucratic decline.

tell that to the developers that tries target their software at 90% of the world's PCs

[wtd]

How many people here do you suppose are writing commercial apps that have to be marketed to hundreds of millions of computer users?

[bugzpodder]

while i agree the win32 api has little real value, i believe the .net framework might be worth the time to look into for someone on this board for some windows specific developing