"Raymond Chen is the original raconteur of Windows."
--Scott Hanselman, ComputerZen.com
"Raymond has been at Microsoft for many years and has seen many nuances of Windows that others could only ever hope to get a glimpse of. With this book, Raymond shares his knowledge, experience, and anecdotal stories, allowing all of us to get a better understanding of the operating system that affects millions of people every day. This book has something for everyone, is a casual read, and I highly recommend it!"
--Jeffrey Richter, Author/Consultant, Cofounder of Wintellect
"Very interesting read. Raymond tells the inside story of why Windows is the way it is."
--Eric Gunnerson, Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation
"Absolutely essential reading for understanding the history of Windows, its intricacies and quirks, and why they came about."
--Matt Pietrek, MSDN Magazine's Under the Hood Columnist
"Raymond Chen has become something of a legend in the software industry, and in this book you'll discover why. From his high-level reminiscences on the design of the Windows Start button to his low-level discussions of GlobalAlloc that only your inner-geek could love, The Old New Thing is a captivating collection of anecdotes that will help you to truly appreciate the difficulty inherent in designing and writing quality software."
--Stephen Toub, Technical Editor, MSDN Magazine
Why does Windows work the way it does? Why is Shut Down on the Start menu? (And why is there a Start button, anyway?) How can I tap into the dialog loop? Why does the GetWindowText function behave so strangely? Why are registry files called "hives"?
Many of Windows' quirks have perfectly logical explanations, rooted in history. Understand them, and you'll be more productive and a lot less frustrated. Raymond Chen--who's spent more than a decade on Microsoft's Windows development team--reveals the "hidden Windows" you need to know.
Chen's engaging style, deep insight, and thoughtful humor have made him one of the world's premier technology bloggers. Here he brings together behind-the-scenes explanations, invaluable technical advice, and illuminating anecdotes that bring Windows to life--and help you make the most of it.
A few of the things you'll find inside:
- What vending machines can teach you about effective user interfaces
- A deeper understanding of window and dialog management
- Why performance optimization can be so counterintuitive
- A peek at the underbelly of COM objects and the Visual C++ compiler
- Key details about backwards compatibility--what Windows does and why
- Windows program security holes most developers don't know about
- How to make your program a better Windows citizen
Autorentext
Raymond Chen writes The Old New Thing, one of today's most influential technology blogs. A programmer at Microsoft Corporation, Chen has been involved in the evolution of Windows for more than a decade. He also writes TechNet Magazine's Windows Confidential column and has been known to make appearances at technology events.
Klappentext
"Raymond Chen is the original raconteur of Windows."
--Scott Hanselman, ComputerZen.com
"Raymond has been at Microsoft for many years and has seen many nuances of Windows that others could only ever hope to get a glimpse of. With this book, Raymond shares his knowledge, experience, and anecdotal stories, allowing all of us to get a better understanding of the operating system that affects millions of people every day. This book has something for everyone, is a casual read, and I highly recommend it!"
--Jeffrey Richter, Author/Consultant, Cofounder of Wintellect
"Very interesting read. Raymond tells the inside story of why Windows is the way it is."
--Eric Gunnerson, Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation
"Absolutely essential reading for understanding the history of Windows, its intricacies and quirks, and why they came about."
--Matt Pietrek, MSDN Magazine's Under the Hood Columnist
"Raymond Chen has become something of a legend in the software industry, and in this book you'll discover why. From his high-level reminiscences on the design of the Windows Start button to his low-level discussions of GlobalAlloc that only your inner-geek could love, The Old New Thing is a captivating collection of anecdotes that will help you to truly appreciate the difficulty inherent in designing and writing quality software."
--Stephen Toub, Technical Editor, MSDN Magazine
Why does Windows work the way it does? Why is Shut Down on the Start menu? (And why is there a Start button, anyway?) How can I tap into the dialog loop? Why does the GetWindowText function behave so strangely? Why are registry files called "hives"?
Many of Windows' quirks have perfectly logical explanations, rooted in history. Understand them, and you'll be more productive and a lot less frustrated. Raymond Chen--who's spent more than a decade on Microsoft's Windows development team--reveals the "hidden Windows" you need to know.
Chen's engaging style, deep insight, and thoughtful humor have made him one of the world's premier technology bloggers. Here he brings together behind-the-scenes explanations, invaluable technical advice, and illuminating anecdotes that bring Windows to life--and help you make the most of it.
A few of the things you'll find inside:
- What vending machines can teach you about effective user interfaces
- A deeper understanding of window and dialog management
- Why performance optimization can be so counterintuitive
- A peek at the underbelly of COM objects and the Visual C++ compiler
- Key details about backwards compatibility--what Windows does and why
- Windows program security holes most developers don't know about
- How to make your program a better Windows citizen
Inhalt
Preface xxiii
Acknowledgments xxvii
About the Author xxix
Chapter One: Initial Forays into User Interface DesignWhy do you have to click the Start button to shut down? 1
Why doesn't Windows have an "expert mode"? 2
The default answer to every dialog box is Cancel 3
The best setting is the one you don't even sense, but it's there, and it works the way you expect 6
In order to demonstrate our superior intellect, we will now ask you a question you cannot answer 7
Why doesn't Setup ask you if you want to keep newer versions of operating system files? 7
Thinking through a feature 9
When do you disable an option, and when do you remove it? 12
When do you put ... after a button or menu? 13
User interface design for vending machines 13
User interface design for interior door locks 15
The evolution of mascara in Windows UI 16
Chapter Two: Selected Reminiscences on Windows 95Why isn't my time zone highlighted on the world map? 19
Why didn't Windows 95 boot with more than 1GB of memory? 20
Why did Windows 95 have functions called BEAR, BUNNY, and PIGLET? 22
What about BOZOSLIVEHERE and TABTHETEXTOUTFORWIMPS? 23
What was in the Windows 95 Special Edition box? 25
Windows brings out the Rorschach test in everyone 25
The martial arts logon picture 26
Why a really large dictionary is not a good thing 27
An insight into the Windows 95 startup sound 27
It's a lot easier to write a column if you don't care about accuracy 28
Why does the System Properties page round the memory size? 29
Why does my hard drive light flash every fe…