You should investigate the docs at msdn.microsoft.com for the basics of what you are asking. There are many options for what you ask, and they vary from OS version to version (98/NT/CE/etc.)

Big Question, but I'll give you a very brief rundown: Windows 95/98/ME: Ever evolving shell interface that still fundamentally sits on the DOS architecture (although it doesn't use very much DOS anymore). This is the "legacy" architecture for Microsoft, and accounts for the majority of its installs. Fundamentally runs on ASCII internally, and uses FAT disk technology. Windows NT/2000: Next generation architecture. Built on "microkernel" design intended to be portable to other architectures (now effectively abandoned), to be capable of utilizing multiple processors in a machine (SMP), adds rich security model (which I can barely understand sometimes :)), uses UNICODE internally (but also offers an ASCII model), and offers much more advanced NTFS disk technology. Much more robust, fault tolerant and secure. Windows CE: My feeling about CE is that it was developed using a subset of the NT architecture. It is designed for instant on, handheld and embedded devices. It is UNICODE only, which means that there are sometimes porting issues moving older code to the platform. CE separates the OS into at least two distinct portions, Kernel and Interface, so that devices that don't require an interface don't need to bring that code along. Fundamentally a very trimmed down version of the Win32 API shared by all Microsoft platforms, focused on minimal resource requirements. Please don't take this comments as anything other than an off-the-cuff summary, for a full description, please see the docs from Microsoft.

Here's my $.02. We have to allow Anonymous postings, but that doesn't mean you have to type in a name, why not just have an "anonymous" checkbox. It's too easy to register under a fake name to police things properly, unless you manually verify every registrant (eek). You could do the mailback think I guess, but that just means setting up a free email account somewhere. Could I register Chris. Maunder, or Chris Maunders, or Chris M, or Mr. Maunder. Sure I could, and I hate to say it but 50% of people reading the post wouldn't realise it wasn't you :( Most readers won't be initimate enough with the system to recognize subtle differences in the posters name. It's unfortunate, as I personally don't want there to be a big barrier to becoming a poster on CP, but we certainly can't let the whole thing digress into a mess either.

Norm, Microsoft has said that the requirements for the beta are much much higher than they will be for the shipping version. To my knowledge they haven't actually stated what the final target is for minimum requirements, and the pessimist in me thinks they won't squeeze it into anything too tiny. :) Hey, it's still a year (or more) away from release according to a recent review by Gartner and in that time I'm sure that 700mhz and 256mb of Ram will be the standard config for CE devices, let alone your desktop ...

Arg, sorry. Even I'm getting sucked into this... Registration here we come :) Actually, I think there's a pretty easy way Chris can sort the wheat from the chaff here, I'll suggest something to him later.

Paul, You don't honestly think that posting was from Chris do you? Come on.

Oh Gawd, I can't believe I'm getting into this :) Fundamentally, yes, using code from a book or magazine is different than using publicly posted code. Publishers have formalized agreements, and formal reviews of intellectual property and do their best to ensure that the code doesn't infringe on someone else's patent or copyright. I want to be clear that I love this site, and the dynamic that it generates and in no way do I want to cast a shadow over its success. Quite the opposite in-fact. Imagine someone posts a BIFF file reader/writer class to this site, it's used and appreciated by hundreds or thousands of people, and used in tons of applications, maybe some of them big important projects for companies like GM, Ford and AT&T. Later, we all discover that this library in-fact includes some sourcecode stolen from Microsoft or some other source. You can be sure that it would be one unholy mess, with all kinds of lawsuits, injunctions and steamed customers. So I guess fundamentally its all about risk. As developers using free posted code, we personally take the risk that the code we're using is legally clean. We sign agreements with our customers and employers telling them that we guarantee that. I doubt that professional errors and omissions insurance would cover most cases of infringement that resulted from the use of freely posted code, but I'm not a lawyer (or an insurance salesman) so I'm not positive about that. We recently ran into a case where a major Fortune 1000 company cancelled the launch of a product because the legal department discovered after the fact that publicly posted code had been used in its creation. If you're not in the F1000 or indirectly working for them then you probably don't care about this, but they sure do.

In multithreaded programming, you must be careful not to monopolize the CPU. The OS of course looks after scheduling, but it's up to you to let the OS know that you don't need every available timeslice for your loop. A simple thing to do is to Sleep() your thread for a reasonable period of time between checks to see if it has work to do. As a simple test, try putting Sleep(500) somewhere inside your loop and see what kind of effect it has on your CPU usage. You likely should architect a more elegant solution than a simple Sleep() call, one that better matches your program logic, but this should get you started. You should also check out WaitForSingleObject() and its cohorts, it may make sense for your app.

Here is a quick link to an MSDN article on writing screen savers in MFC. Might give you a place to start. http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/devprods/vs6/visualc/vcsample/_sample_mfc_saver.htm

Well, maybe I'm a little biased, but I love what Chris has put together here. I'm also very happy that CodeGuru have picked up their socks, but I'll bet you that would never have happened if CodeProject didn't show up. :) Overall, I look at CodeProject as the VC++ community, not just a code repository. I like to cruise in a couple of times a day and see what's happening in the lounge, and I actually have started using the little news window at the bottom of the homepage too. Despite the fact that I know most of the people who've been interviewed very well, I still love to read them. I think most people are missing the point of the Interviews, which bring the big-wigs of the industry front and center, and let you, the CP views set the agenda. I think Chris' approach with this is excellent, and I also think we're not using the opportunity. Matt, the Win32 GOD shows up, and only a handful of people ask questions. Chris, the ATL/Scripting GOD shows up, and the only questions that get asked are personal. The concerned developer who launched this thread complained about a lack of technical relevance, but he we were the ones asking the questions! Did the concerned developer post any technical ATL questions? If we want this to be better, then as Chris says, we have to make it better. I also really enjoyed Chris' synopsis of the Redmond trip. I think it's very likely that the 99% of people who come here are quite keen on finding out more about the Microsoft life. I was on the trip with Chris and even I couldn't wait to see what he was going to put in the next installment. I think the homepage needs a little more focus than it currently has, and like everyone else I'd like to see more articles contributed. So, let's as a community scratch up some code samples and make some postings. Chris has even made it so you can post articles immediately through the submission wizard so you don't have to wait forever to see your work up!

Colin, I'm surprised this thread didn't come up earlier, but I'm glad it did. First, less than a month ago we were recognized by Deloitte and Touche as one of the fastest growing companies in Canada (#27), this is the second year we've made the list. Further, we make a substantial part of our revenues from MFC products and MFC based consulting, so I also think it's safe to say that we will continue to do MFC development, at least for the foreseeable future. You will however see a shift in our efforts to further support the emerging .Net and webservices platforms. Revenue is of course always nice, I won't deny that. Fundamentally, the Goldrush is a heck of a lot of fun to do. We've discovered that most developers wait until they have a problem (often that has painted them into a corner) before they buy our products. The Goldrush is a limited time opportunity for developers who are willing to buy in advance to save a pile of money. So yes, marketing is certainly part of it too. Why is it the last? Well, unless Microsoft throws some major effort into MFC, it just doesn't make sense for us to sell our products off at a discount in the future. Companies like our make bold moves to build market share early in an emerging market, and clearly MFC is a mature market. So, for the MFC space going forward it makes more sense for us to offer our products at full price to those developers who absolutely need to get them. So if you are thinking about picking this up, I recommend that you do, because it really will be the last time we offer the Goldrush.

How much of the Windows or dot-net sourcecode do you think they may have modified? With a 3 month period of time to think about what they might want to accomplish with the access they had, they could certainly have devised some pretty elegant ways to work in backdoors, trojans, or even in fact simple bugs if they wanted. These guys obviously weren't simply tempted to do a Format and run job. I don't envy our friends at Microsoft right now, I bet they are doing line-by-line code reviews of massive quantities of code, windiffing everything they've written in the last 3+ months, and trying to figure out what may have been compromised

Seems like a group of Russian and/or Asian hackers has had access to the sourcecode for Windows and Office for a 'couple of months. Oh oh. I don't know about you guys, but this scares the crap out of me. Ed Worsfold get's credit for the Subject line :) ComputerWorld article

Hmmm, you're pretty demanding. Not just what is .Net, but what is .Net in one simple sentance... .Net is a way for Microsoft to abstract away both the operating system and the language, so they can contiue own the most signficant position in software industry. I also think it's a big advance in everyday software development. :) Anyone else want to give that a stab

Hey Chris, now that sounds like a research project! Catch up with Phil Geek ex-staffer for two-wheel magazine for an interview. Way cool. And right in your back-yard.

>I am desperately trying not to start a rant about >people who simply cannot cope with the fact that "hacker" >now has multiple meanings that are all as valid as each >other, in context. Our building, basically 14 floors of computer companies, has a bar on the main floor that has "hacker" microbrew on tap. Just thought I'd toss in one more definition for hacker, which is quite often in context :

Ow, my head hurts. :

This question is likely too big for readers to be willing to step forward and address. From my perspective .Net covers a large span of territory: Fundamentally, Microsoft has been trying for years to develop a solid footing in enterprise computing, .Net is their strongest effort yet to push into that space. Obviously blunting the value of Java is core to this, but I don't think that was the only goal. I honestly believe that Microsoft wants to, possibly for the first time, advance the level of current technology rather than simply providing the most economically compelling offering to an already defined space. I also think .Net has become a focus for a wide variety of technological initiatives, far exceeding its original mandate (Enterprise appeal, java killer). Included in .Net now are the ability to target PC and non-PC devices, object compatibility at the language level (rather than COM's arguably failed binary offering), and the fundamental understanding that software is history and services are the future (Webservices). Most profound in the entire offering is the integration of webservices into the language, which I personally think has been grossly underestimated as moving force in modern software development.

Hi. I know this is going to sound like a plug, but here goes. First, I'm not aware of any freeware, or opensource object/relationship diagramming libraries. There are a number of commercial offerings, from companies like Northwoods, Protoview and (I think) Tom Sawyer, but the prices can be pretty darn hefty. Microsoft's Visio has a programming model that you can develop against, and it's very good. Depending upon your needs, and the extent to which you intend to distribute your software, this could be an option. Many people however aren't comfortable building a dependance on Microsoft Office (or Visio) into their apps, but as I said you know your situation better than anyone. We offer a few commercial libraries that support diagramming, one called Ultimate Diagram, and a superset of that called HyperView. Right now, we're offering these libraries, along with the whole complement of our MFC development libraries, complete with full source code in a special product bundle called the Goldrush 2000. I'd recommend you check it out to see if it fits your needs. I guarantee it will be the least expensive way to grab a diagramming library! http://www.dundas.com/goldrush2000

Here's a quick link to the Microsoft fastfacts page: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/fastfacts.asp