learn dot microsoft... is it just me?
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Indeed. What is the cost, to them, of leaving that old documentation online in whatever state it was when it was last updated? It makes zero sense to remove that old stuff that no longer changes. The fact that MS no longer proactively develops anything using some older library/SDK/whatever doesn't mean nobody else does. How many useful blog entries, TechNet articles, etc have completely disappeared or can no longer be found because of dead links? Years ago I thought it was rather clever of MS to have links pointing to www.microsoft.com/fwlink?id=XXXXX because that meant any time they revamped some site, they could update any "real" target URL and keep it up to date so a page you simply know as "XXXXX" could remain accessible over time, and the dead link problem could be solved once and for all...how naive of me.
there is no cost, marketing has been in control forever. So, if they drive you to their learn crap, they can push advertising and control the content. The best support I ever received was from usenet - it had Microsoft people and 3rd party grunts to help. And Microsoft screwed the pooch. You know what I'm about to do on my own time (training exercise)? I'm going to re-write the entire Mfc UI in html5, javascript and web sockets. I don't need no stinking OS. It reminds me of what I learned in business - you don't need to be excellent, you just need to suck less than your competition.
Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.