cjeffery@cs.arizona.edu (Clinton Jeffery) (08/29/90)
Let's say, hypothetically, that I am a poor grad student who wants to port a large X application to MS Windows. The software tools run $100 for windows + $350 for MSC + $350 for Windows SDK = $800. Who at Microsoft could tell me about an educational discount program? Will Turbo C cut it for Windows development? Would a 2.11 development system be source-code compatible with Win3.0? Are their any alternatives to the SDK? This raises the general question of: how come no one cares that Microsoft has excluded the hobbyist and casual programmer from Windows programming? If anyone knows how much the new Quarterdeck-with-X-Windows product costs and how much it costs to develop for it, I'd be interested in hearing. Thanks, y'all! -- | Clint Jeffery, U. of Arizona Dept. of Computer Science | cjeffery@cs.arizona.edu -or- {noao allegra}!arizona!cjeffery --
rogerson@PEDEV.Columbia.NCR.COM (Dale Rogerson) (08/29/90)
In article <382@caslon.cs.arizona.edu> cjeffery@cs.arizona.edu (Clinton Jeffery) writes: > >Let's say, hypothetically, that I am a poor grad student who wants >to port a large X application to MS Windows. The software tools run >$100 for windows + $350 for MSC + $350 for Windows SDK = $800. Windows is $50 mail order. On educational discount MSC is $200, SDK is $250. This is $500. Now you can use Quick C instead of MSC so the total would be about $350. Or your best bet would be to get Zortech C++. I think all you need is the compiler so that would cost you $150 with a total of $450 (Zortech does also have an education discount). >Who at Microsoft could tell me about an educational discount program? I always bought things though my campus computer store (Georgia Tech). You might try calling 1-800-323-3577 or 1-800-428-9400. One of these numbers is the Windows Hotline and the other one doesn't work :-) >Will Turbo C cut it for Windows development? Nope. Stony Brook Modula 2 will :-) >Would a 2.11 development system be source-code compatible with Win3.0? For most things it would be. You will need to get mark.com to mark your programs as Win3.0 compatable. I would recommend the Win3.0 SDK over the Win2.11 SDK. >Are their any alternatives to the SDK? No. Well, there is Actor. However, I still think you need the SDK and Actor probably isn't going to help make the porting very easy. >This raises the general question of: how come no one cares that Microsoft >has excluded the hobbyist and casual programmer from Windows programming? A lot of people care about this and have complained about it to Microsoft. However, Windows is not an easy environment to program for. Microsoft doesn't want to provide support for a bunch of people who don't now how to program. They are waiting for others to provide this kind of support. In any event most of the graphic libraries which provide Windowing capabilities cost about the same as the SDK. I do which that the libraries for Windows was free and that they just charged for docs. >If anyone knows how much the new Quarterdeck-with-X-Windows product costs >and how much it costs to develop for it, I'd be interested in hearing. >Thanks, y'all! I have not idea about this. -----Dale Rogerson-----