서평을 보고나서

아마존에서 찰스 페졸드의 Programming Windows 에 대한 서평을 보게되었다.
 
서평을 보고 나서 난 갑자기 회의가 들었다.
Win32 API를 지금 배우면 많이 도움이 될까?
 
컴퓨터 소프트웨어는 발전한다. 소프트웨어가 발전하면서 프로그래밍 언어도 발전하게 되었다.
프로그래밍 언어가 사람들에 의해 많이 쓰는 언어도 생기고 많이 쓰다가도 인기가 시들어져서 아예 안쓰는 언어도 생기게 되고......
 
지금 이 시기는 과도기 시대이다.
32Bit 컴퓨터 시스템시대와 갓 생긴 64bit 컴퓨터 시스템.
시간이 지나면  M$사는 64bit 컴퓨터시스템을 위한 소프트웨어를 많이 만들겠지?
그러면 32 Bit 소프트웨어는 사장될것이 분명해지고 .NET franework 이 유행이 되겠지???
 
Win32 API를 배울때 좀 걱정이 되군...이런 기술이 별로 안쓰게 되고 사장되어가는 분위기 같다는...
방학때 C#같은 .NET계통 언어를 배워볼까?
자꾸 이 서평을 보면 Visual studio .NET를 깔아야겠다는 생각이 계속 들군. (아직도 Visual studio 6.0쓰는 사람이 한두명도 아닌데.. 이런)
 
Strictly Win32, August 28, 2005
Reviewer:Jonathan M. Davis (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
   I have been a Windows developer since 1997, when Win32 was still fairly fresh and Windows 95 was just entering into its SR2 phase. That was a good era for this sort of book, if you wanted to delve into programming Windows without using Visual Babytalk (Visual Basic).

However, the words (not book) "Programming Windows" spoken in the era of tomorrow (Vista) will be synonymous with the .NET Framework. Win32 is officially deprecated, and will be available in future versions of Windows (i.e. Vista) only for backwards compatibility. Yes, there are a few new APIs added to the Win32 framework in Vista. But Microsoft wants to discourage you from using them, and to use managed code (code written for the .NET Framework) instead, if it can be afforded by your processor, memory, and .NET's flexibility.

These things said, if you want to learn how to program in Windows, in general, may I please make a few alternate recommendations:

- If you're toying with older versions of Windows, such as Windows 95/98/ME, and you know or are willing to learn the C programming language, this book is a FANTASTIC way to get started.

- If you're tasked with supporting legacy desktop software written in C on modern or legacy Windows systems, this book could be an excellent reference guide or refresher book.

- If you just want to extend your programming skills set with an introduction to Win32--and you know what Win32 is all about in the first place--then this is a very, VERY good book to have in your library.

- If you're learning C/C++ generically (in college, for example) and you're wanting to apply it to the Windows world, this book will be excellent for you. However, by 2010, C++ not fully integrated with the CLR will be a stale rendition of C++, as will be all of your C/C++ textbooks. (Pay close attention to the direction Visual C++ 2005 is going.)

- If you know another Windows language such as Visual Basic and are trying to shift to C/C++, this is a very good start.

HOWEVER,

- If you do not have any Windows programming under your belt, and you don't know exactly where to get started in learning how to program for Windows in general, may I please recommend that you pay no attention to this book. Learn about Windows Forms in C# or VB.NET instead.

- If you are trying to study up on the latest and greatest techniques on programming Windows, this book could be a useful asset, but only where managed code (.NET Framework) cannot suffice. Please purchase books pertaining to .NET Framework version 2.0 and/or Visual Studio 2005 (or sub-products, i.e. Visual C# 2005, Visual Basic 2005, Visual C++ 2005, etc.)

- If you're looking for the way things WERE done in Windows for creating windows, running applications, implementing user interfaces, managing threads, graphics, etc., this is the book for you.

- If you're looking for the way things WILL NOW be done in Windows for doing user interfaces, managing applications and threading, 3D graphics, etc., then pay attention to the .NET Framework, Avalon (the code name for the new UI API in Vista), and DirectX. None of these are related to Win32, and none of these are covered in this book.