ssriniva@Teknowledge.COM (Shankar Srinivasan) (04/18/91)
Anybody have any references to books or articles that address the issues and steps involved in moving DOS applications to Windows? I've looked at all the regular references (Petzold, SDK manuals) and don't see anything that specifically addresses this issue. I suppose one could infer a set of things to do based on the material there, but being new to the wonderful world of MS Windows, I'm just afraid that I may neglect something important. I'm most concerned about memory (of course), since the application we're working with is large (in size and mem model). Can any net.windows.experts give me references or maybe a list of things to do, do's and don't, gotchas, recommendations? Any info is appreciated. Email or post to c.w.m.p is fine. Thanks in advance. - Shankar ssriniva@Teknowledge.Com
ebergman@isis.cs.du.edu (Eric Bergman-Terrell) (04/20/91)
Well I'm right in the middle of a port of a DOS application to Windows 3.0. My program has a lot of code, but few large data structures, so I don't have much advice that isn't already said better in Petzold - actually I do - if you have static data structures that aren't too big (maybe < 32k) consider making them RCDATA or user-defined resources (then you don't have to write much code to load them from disk). BTW the best part of a Windows port is throwing away all the @#$@#$ hand- crafted menu & dialog box management code as well as the @#$@$ home-grown printer drivers! Also: I am beginning to believe that the complexity of Windows application development is rather exaggerated. The time I've spent learning Windows & the message passing paradigm is much less than I'd spend writing all the things already built into Windows (e.g. on-line help)... My $0.02 Terrell
srw@cci632.cci.com (Steve Windsor) (04/22/91)
In article <13728@alfred.Teknowledge.COM> ssriniva@Teknowledge.COM (Shankar Srinivasan) writes: >Anybody have any references to books or articles that address the >issues and steps involved in moving DOS applications to Windows? > Well............... There are just too many steps. You are NOT simply porting C code to windows. You must make some conceptual leaps (that is, if you have not used a GUI before). The best way to think of it, is that you will most likely have to rewrite 50-100% of the code, particulary if it deals with a graphics interface or memory allocation. >I've looked at all the regular references (Petzold, SDK manuals) and >don't see anything that specifically addresses this issue. I suppose >one could infer a set of things to do based on the material there, but >being new to the wonderful world of MS Windows, I'm just afraid that I >may neglect something important. Your fears are well founded. Welcome to Windows. Let me give you a hint: you don't even use the MSC library anymore! >I'm most concerned about memory (of course), since the application we're >working with is large (in size and mem model). Can any >net.windows.experts give me references or maybe a list of things to do, >do's and don't, gotchas, recommendations? Any info is appreciated. Yes./ 1) Don't use large model, use medium. 2) Take (TAKE IT) Microsoft University's windows classes. Take the first one, Windows Programming Environment. This is an excellent class and will give you a LOT more background into what and how to do things. 3) The list is simply too large. Only a neural network would work 8-). If this is a project that your boss or company has you on and they think it is a simple matter to port the application, let me tell you here and now that IT IS NOT!!! So, be forewarned. I'm not trying at all to scare you away from Windows, it can be a *wonderful* package, but in the hands of the uninformed, it will be your worst nightmare. Take the class. It will be the best $1500 your company ever spent. cheers, stephen windsor srw@op632.cci.com
demillo@porter.geo.brown.edu (Rob DeMillo) (04/26/91)
In article <1991Apr20.024602.29466@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> ebergman@isis.UUCP (Eric Bergman-Terrell) writes: >Also: I am beginning to believe that the complexity of Windows application >development is rather exaggerated. The time I've spent learning Windows >& the message passing paradigm is much less than I'd spend writing all the >things already built into Windows (e.g. on-line help)... > > >My $0.02 > A good two cents.... Its not exagerated...it takes a large learning curve to be able to effectively use about 400 function calls...however, I have been programming professionally in X Windows for a few years now, and I have finally reached that point in MS Windows 3.0 where I think I'm as competent in Windows as I am in X....and you know what? I *almost* like Windows better than X! (Gasp! Heathen!) My personal jury is still out on this, but it has a *lot* of nice features that are relatively easy to use. (DDE, for one.) Plus, to the user, the applications look just as sexy as they do in OpenWindows 2.0. (Although I *still* like the look of the OpenWindows slider bars better....) My $0.04 - Rob DeMillo | Internet: demillo@juliet.ll.mit.edu Mass Inst of Tech/Lincoln Lab | Also: demillo@porter.geo.brown.edu Weather Sensing Project-Group 43 | Reality: 401-273-0804 (home) "I say you *are* the Messiah, Lord! And I ought to know, I've followed a few!"