The Old New Thing
Practical development throughout the evolution of Windows.
Latest posts

Can we get weak functions for static linking? The Visual C++ compiler says “We have weak functions at home”

It's already there, just under a different paradigm.

The problem with inferring from a function call operator is that there may be more than one

auto
parameters make this easy to write, particularly for lambdas.

How do I convert a FILETIME
to a C++ clock like std::system_clock
or winrt::clock
?

The winrt::clock
has a conversion for you.

Microspeak: Convicted

False backformation.

How can I enumerate the overflow icons in the Notification Area without showing them?

If they aren't shown, then they aren't automatable, so there's no requirement that they exist in the UI automation tree.

Why didn’t Windows 95 setup install a miniature Windows 95 so that it could be written as a 32-bit program?

Getting to the GUI quickly, and rebooting only once.

Samples note: Use comments to describe what code does, not what you wish the code would do

Comments explain the code. They are not substitutes for the code.

Why is Windows still tinkering with critical sections?

The critical section may be an old dog, but it's still learning new tricks.

Another lesson learned from the Windows 98 on-stage USB blue screen

Test before using.