March 2007

Windows Vista takes care of your weekends

Submitted by Administrator on Thu, 2007-03-22 12:20

Windows Vista changed the way it shutdowns. Developer should be aware of this change. Read at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms700677.aspx the rationale behind it:

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Lazy programmers, bad applications

Submitted by Administrator on Sat, 2007-03-17 20:34

A while ago, I had a discussion on a newsgroup about the reasons a programmer should call the correct API even if the same information were available elsewhere, in that case it was the paths of some special Windows folders, like Document & Settings or Program files. It was impossible to convince some programmers that calling the API SHGetSpecialFolderLocation() or the newer SHGetFolderPath() was the correct thing to do, instead of accessing the registry.

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When innovation is not real innovation: the WinHelp case.

Submitted by Administrator on Sun, 2007-03-11 23:51

Microsoft didn't include the WinHelp32 application in Windows Vista. The official reason is its code does not meet Vista standards. Later it has been made available as a separate download (probably to avoid a lot of users complains!), anyway developers "are encouraged to transition their Help experience to an alternative Help file format, such as .chm, .html, or .xml".
This is a clear case when innovation is not real innovation, instead is just adding bloated applications where noone needs them.
WinHelp has everything one could ask to an help system: loads very fast, is not intrusive, is easy to use yet powerful enough, is easy to develop.

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