[comp.windows.ms] Windows SDK

abcscnge@csuna.UUCP (Scott "The Pseudo-Hacker" Neugroschl) (01/18/89)

In article <4315@paris.ics.uci.edu> posert@bonnie.ics.uci.edu (Bob Posert) writes:
>I can't exactly afford the SDK.

As a matter of curiosity:

	1) How much does the SDK cost?

	2) Does it include MSC 5.x or is that purchased separately?

	3) What else does/doesn't it include?

AdvTHANKSance
-- 
Scott "The Pseudo-Hacker" Neugroschl
UUCP:  ...!sm.unisys.com!csun!csuna!abcscnge
-- "Beat me, whip me, make me code in Ada"
-- Disclaimers?  We don't need no stinking disclaimers!!!

bturner@hpcvlx.HP.COM (Bill Turner) (01/20/89)

> As a matter of curiosity:
>	1) How much does the SDK cost?

It lists at $450 from Microsoft, but you can get it cheaper from a number
of sources.

>	2) Does it include MSC 5.x or is that purchased separately?

No, you need to purchase that as well ($500 list).

>	3) What else does/doesn't it include?

It includes the Windows programmer's manuals, the link-time libraries for
Windows, the resource compiler, dialog box editor, icon editor, segmented
executable linker (MSW uses a different format .EXE than DOS...), and some
runtime monitor tools.  Plus sample source code.

--Bill Turner

ben@val.UUCP (Ben Thornton) (01/21/89)

In article <1577@csuna.UUCP> abcscnge@csuna.UUCP (Scott "The Pseudo Hacker" Neugroschl) writes:
>In article <4315@paris.ics.uci.edu> posert@bonnie.ics.uci.edu (Bob Posert) writes:
>>I can't exactly afford the SDK.
>
>As a matter of curiosity:
>
>	1) How much does the SDK cost?
>
>	2) Does it include MSC 5.x or is that purchased separately?
>
>	3) What else does/doesn't it include?
>

It lists for approx. $500 and can be purchased from various discount
software houses for about $300-$350.  It does not contain the C compiler
per se, however it does contain an "upgrade" to the compiler presumably
to allow it to compile windows code :-).  It provides support for writing
windows applications in Pascal or MASM as well as C.  Pascal and MASM
are also absent from the SDK itself.  It does include tools for editing
things such as window attributes and icons.

This package is for the development of applications to run under windows
only.  There are other develpment kits available from Microsoft for
writing hardware device drivers and the OEM kit for porting to non-IBM
compatible platforms.  The latter two are not available to the general
public.

Hope that helps.


It list 
-- 

Ben Thornton             packet:  WD5HLS @ KB5PM
Video Associates Labs      uucp:  ...!cs.utexas.edu!oakhill!val!ben
Austin, TX              fidonet:  1:382/40 - The Antenna Farm BBS

mcdonald@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu (01/25/89)

>This package is for the development of applications to run under windows
>only.  There are other develpment kits available from Microsoft for
>writing hardware device drivers and the OEM kit for porting to non-IBM
>compatible platforms.  The latter two are not available to the general
>public.
The documentation for the Windows SDK seems to say that the device
driver kit is available to any purchaser of the SDK (at no charge).
Reports indicate, however, that it is severely incomplete. 

Except for the screen, mouse, and printer, it is not clear that
a Windows device driver is the best way. I just finished yesterday
writing a Windows program that collects data from an ADC board
and a parallel IO card. Windows doesn't prevent accessing TSR
device drivers through software interrupts or global addresses in 
low memory. I used this method and it works fine. The Windows program
checks the device driver at every timer tick. But there is a problem
in that certain user actions completely hang Windows: among these
is the simple act of moving a window with the mouse. So I needed
a huge ring buffer.

It is cute to watch a line go up and down on the screen as I
wave my hand in from of my pc. This works even if the program
is iconic. (I find it neat that just telling Windows that your
program doesn't have an icon allows it, with no special actions
needed, to paint its icon, just like it had a whole screen!).

Doug McDonald

steve@siesoft (steve) (02/03/89)

In article <245400010@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu> mcdonald@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu writes:
>
>
>Windows doesn't prevent accessing TSR
>device drivers through software interrupts or global addresses in 
>low memory. I used this method and it works fine. The Windows program
>checks the device driver at every timer tick. 


    Beware the use of software interrupts with Windows - it will cause
problems if you try it with Windows 386, since a different table of
interrupt vectors is maintained for each virtual machine.

    Steve Draper (steve@uk.co.siesoft)

altman@sbcs.sunysb.edu (Jeff Altman) (05/26/90)

Just off the phone with MS.  The SDK should be available the second
week in June.  Upgrades will be $150.  

The DDK will be available within 2 to 4 weeks after that and will cost
$500.  This is no upgrade planned at this time as all earlier versions
went out for $FREE.

- Jeff (jaltman@ccmail.sunysb.edu)