Goodbye Windows C + +

I wrote a gadget 3 years ago that was used to detect the version of the Windows operating system and the version of the. NET framework that was installed, and I used it to troubleshoot problems that prevented programs from running because of lack of running environment support. This tool is written in C + + in Visual Studio 2010, why not write in C #? -Obviously, if a computer is connected. NET is not installed, then I can not run this gadget. I later released the gadget: Windows and. NET Framework version Detection Tool   If this gadget doesn't count, the last time I wrote a Windows C + + program was November 2011, and many years passed ... "Windows c+ + Development ", more specifically, it should be called" program development based on native Windows SDK ", which differs from the use of. NET, Java, Python, and so on, which requires a specific platform of development (C + + with CLI), which was my best and favorite technology, I have been in touch with Windows C + + development since 2004, all the work in the middle, more or less related to this, so I have a full 7 years of use of Windows C + + ......  Many things in life there is always a great chance of development, "A word change the life of people" This kind of chicken soup is absurd in reason, but it happens all the while. I was in high School (1996) read the computer newspaper has a joke, there is a sentence, "Do not understand what you say the Super C + + language", so as to show a person speak difficult to understand, at that time I do not understand C + +, but according to the literal meaning to see, must have C, then have c+, then C + + One is harder than one! Hard to mean, that's for sure, you think about the Olympic Games of the topic which is easy? Solve the problem to look at their own cattle ah! In this way, I associate C + + with "hard" and "good", and for a long time it has been so.   My first job as a programmer for serious was 2003, when I was doing C development in an outsourcing company, C + + still only scratched the surface, but the tedious and tedious outsourcing development work stimulated my desire to learn more deeply, I decided to learn C + +, and I had the foundation of C, Secondly, there is a person who understands C + + colleagues, what do not understand can ask him ah, the most critical or before planted in his own heart of this view-this thing cow! In this way, I bought a few books, began a long journey of study. In the past, I used the Visual Basic 6.0, my graduation design is to use it to do, this thing is very simple ah! Drag a few controls, an interface is good, double-click the Next button, you can write its click processing method, and the corresponding visual C+ + 6.0 Why is it so hard to use? I think it must be my efforts are not enough, difficult to learn, it means that the knowledge deep inside, need to spend more strength, so, I am struggling to chew the book, hoping that one day can become the legend of the Great God.    This kind of learning is undoubtedly inefficient (of course I have learned this truth is a few years later), why? Think of my motivation to learn VC + + what is it? Want to learn something difficult (good) things, and then find a more exciting work, I lack a clear direction, I actually do not know when to use VC + +, when should use C, also do not know whether there is a better solution to a problem, bulkhead stuffy brain blindly reading study, such learning, In the case of martial arts fiction, it is the rhythm of being possessed. But the reality is reality, and the martial arts are quite big difference, my efforts, although inefficient, but not useless, in 04 on a hot summer day, I left the outsourcing company, reason, half is forced, the other half is I really want to go, and the next job is to really use the Ox x Visual C + + Do cow X's development!   In the new environment, I grow fast, a person who is blind and has a clear job goal is exactly two different worlds. In fact, in that company for a long time, I did not mainly do VC + +, but in the Linux C + +, the program runs on the server, the leader of the arrangement is mainly to look at me before the server-side C development, and also run in a similar UNIX environment, Then I do things more carefully, at that time, Linux C + + has no integrated development environment, the way to write the program is to use CVS (yes, SVN did not get up) to take down the code, with UltraEdit and other text editor, with SSH upload to the server, and make a bit, Do not set breakpoints debugging and so on, the program has a problem? Rely on the log, and crashes after the error to rely on GDB to check the dump file, now in retrospect so backward way I can actually make the program is really a miracle ... Perhaps because of this, I am not optimistic about C + + development of Linux, so in the back to persuade the leader to replace our server with Windows, so that the world is peaceful, the leadership agreed.   In the days after, I will most of the time with VC + +, vc++6 of that seemingly humble interface, was once I installed force of the weapon, I proudly declared its shabby behind buried deep technology, and run fast, and Microsoft's new VS2003, VS2005 flow slowly with a snail-like, face company those who do Java development colleagues, I behaved quite disdain, because my tool is very difficult to use (good), they do not work, and they do the JSP (I have contact before), I want to seriously learn the words will soon be able to learn ... There are many "samsara" in life, especiallyThe view of one thing, each person in different periods often vary greatly, even diametrically opposite. A few years later I think back to these ideas, really regret, because in the back of the career, VC + + usage of less, and can engage in Linux C + + development of people are very good, do Java people more extensive.  2006 year I jumped a slot, 2007 and jumped again, in these two companies, I am relatively pure vc++6 users, until 2010 I again, the time of the Vc++6 launch, has been 11 years, in these years, I try to dig VC + + A variety of power: 

1. Learning COM Development
2. learning more about Windows SDK, tasting calls to various functions
3. Understanding Windows kernel mechanics, tossing various tools
4. self-learning graphics, OpenGL, Try to fully optimize the chart display effect of the company's software
5. tried to do driver development (DDK) to be able to make the computer blue screen proud
6. actually learned the Windows compilation, wrote out the size only a few K but have strong (waste) big (wood) function of small program
7. Spit slot MFC, try to develop a more practical, concise and beautiful UI Framework
8. , etc...

  But unfortunately, these things are not used in the work, and later forget almost, in addition to some demos have not produced anything really useful products, work for me most of the time is to write applications. What does that say? Close your eyes to see countless roads, open their eyes or usual. Perhaps you want to know what I used to replace the MFC framework of the set of things later how to do, hehe ... After a period of time to give up, because to do is to find in fact that they are completely repeating the wheel ah, and then go down must be the old way of MFC, and to my level, the code quality is certainly far inferior to MFC.   I no longer use Vc++6 is 2010, one is vc++6 is really too old, Microsoft has abandoned it long ago, and I think if I do not make some changes, but also to be abandoned by the world, and because I will be engaged in the development of Windows Mobile, there is no use vc+ +6, there are some differences between Windows Mobile development and Windows development, but the general experience is consistent, the Windows Mobile SDK only supports Visual Studio 2005 and Visual Studio 2008, and I chose 2008 decisively. At first, it is slow, all kinds of discomfort, but to adapt to this thing is actually a matter of time, sometimes "feel unwell" or even hinder their progress of an excuse, listen to "Want to progress, do not always live in their own heart comfort zone" this truth?  windows Mobile The project was doomed to fail because it was a rapidly declining platform, a serious betting accident, and we stopped the project in November 2011, and then I turned it in. NET development, now think of this is a good turnaround, from then on, my scope gradually become broad, the horizon is gradually open. Using Windows C + + to do application development, this is undoubtedly a low cost, quoting someone else's sentence: "You help the old man wall, fill the hole dug by the new people," usually only for some of the more special areas, shape, game engine, The pursuit of the ultimate in the basic algorithm and drive (the exact driver development is DDK rather than the native Windows SDK).   How is it better for a technology person to improve himself? I think it is better to keep in line with the company, what the company is going to do, what you do, for business problems, to find the most appropriate solution, to solve these problems, your skill level is also a great. As the subtitle of this blog says: Technology is born to solve problems! Difficult technology is not equal to the technology, looks cool technology also does not mean that there is a future, and personal preferences more irrelevant, the most important thing is to solve the company's problems, I have long been the detours are mostly because they have not been able to keep pace with the company. Back to the gadget mentioned in this article, I opened it with the latest VS2015, updated some code, I found myself writing code is very laborious, C + + is too difficult to use, and VS2015 by default without installing C + +, the latest Windows SDK is not installed by default, Maybe Microsoft thinks these things are already very small. I sent the compiled program to colleagues, found that her Windows XP system can not run, later I know to change the project options in the "Platform toolset" to "V140_XP" side, as for earlier Windows 2000, there is no way, Unless I used a lower version of Visual Studio to develop, I always wanted to write the kind of short and short 0 dependence of the good program, now I do not think so, a lot of old things, the elimination of the elimination. "Good-bye" in the title "Good-bye Windows C + +" is not "farewell", but "see again", as Beyond's "good-bye Ideals" express, Windows C + + is like an old guitar, has accompanied me through a long way, and then no longer used, Feel no longer suitable, but occasionally I will also regain feelings, recall it, so "good-bye", but feelings to feelings, life to life, with and not, it depends on what to solve is the problem. Finally publish the latest version of this gadget, also to commemorate Windows C + + accompany me through those green years. Sysinfodetector_exe.zip (executable file)sysinfodetector_src.zip (source code, VS2015)

Goodbye Windows C + +