Preload entries for viewable area and maybe a little around, then load entries only when they should be shown. Cannot specify more concrete, haven't programmed for windows for years. NEVER ever do progress bars for filling controls, this nerves a lot especially if you clicked the wrong control, always use lazy loading. Java AWT is particularly good designed for this approach :)

Hehe, it depends.. Here is my C++ code for parsing some simple XML with obstacle information for the map:

bool ObstacleXMLLoader::LoadFromFile(std::string file, std::vector &data)
{
this->m_data_out = &data;
m_data_out->clear();

struct XmlStateMachineScriptCommand script \[\] = {
    XML\_NODE("@TOP"),
    XML\_NODE("@obstacles", XP\_SKIP\_UNKNOWN), // skip the tags like coordinate\_system and bounding\_box
    XML\_TRAN("@TOP",               ELEMENT,   "obstacles",    "@obstacles"),
    XML\_TRAN("@obstacles",         ELEMENT,   "point",        "@in\_obstacle",   boost::bind(&ObstacleXMLLoader::\_StartObstacle, this, ObstacleXMLLoader::POINT)),
    XML\_TRAN("@obstacles",         ELEMENT,   "line",         "@in\_obstacle",   boost::bind(&ObstacleXMLLoader::\_StartObstacle, this, ObstacleXMLLoader::LINE)),
      XML\_TRAN("@in\_obstacle",     ATTRIBUTE, "height",       "",               boost::bind(&XMLAttributeParser, "height", \_1, &m\_to\_be\_filled.height)),
      XML\_TRAN("@in\_obstacle",     ELEMENT,   "coordinate",   "@in\_coor"),
        XML\_TRAN("@in\_coor",       ATTRIBUTE, "lat",          "",               boost::bind(&XMLAttributeParser, "lat", \_1, &m\_current\_coordinate.y)),
        XML\_TRAN("@in\_coor",       ATTRIBUTE, "lon",          "",               boost::bind(&XMLAttributeParser, "lon", \_1, &m\_current\_coordinate.x)),
      XML\_NEND("@in\_coor",                                                      boost::bind(&ObstacleXMLLoader::\_PushCoordinate, this)),
    XML\_NEND("@in\_obstacle",                                                    boost::bind(&ObstacleXMLLoader::\_FinishObstacle, this))
};

return BaseXMLLoader::LoadFromFile(file, s\_machine\_name, sizeof(script)/sizeof(script\[0\]), script);

}

Note this is SAX parser being able to process 25Mb XML in 4 seconds three-year old machine.

We have got a fresh work student a month ago and he happens to know only C#. Maybe it hints, the Microsoft promotional campaign at education facilities successes.

Please note, you do not "buy" the games through steam, but, according to steam subscriber agrement, you "subscribe" to the "services, software and other content". Further, see paragraph 9c: C. NO GUARANTEES. VALVE DOES NOT GUARANTEE CONTINUOUS, ERROR-FREE, VIRUS-FREE OR SECURE OPERATION AND ACCESS TO STEAM, THE SOFTWARE, YOUR ACCOUNT AND/OR YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS(S). On the other hand, there are events on the steam, which allow you to buy games very cheap. Keep remembering though, your steam asset is not actually "yours".