"Joel on Software" on the Windows API

[jrtom]

"How Microsoft Lost the API War"

It's not clear to me that the future is as clear-cut in this regard as Joel makes it out to be. But it's an interesting article.

Comments

[red-frog.livejournal.com]

It's news to me that developers are no longer interested in the Windows API. Lots of interest in Web services, but when I was doing a regular column on them I could find no one able to say that they were using them, and there was little practical use for the column, I'm afraid. It was fun geeking, but that's all.

I think that Joel is reading MSDN too much and needs to talk to more people who still need to support legacy apps. And, for the record, I am looking very hard myself at the capabilities of the API and the enhancements going forward.

Incidentally, comparing upgrading to Longhorn from XP as being a less compelling upgrade than to Windows from DOS is, well, stupid. To paraphrase Pulp Fiction, it's not only not the same ballpark, it's not the same fucking sport. No, it's not the same, but there's a lot in there that will be very useful if they can make it work.

[red-frog.livejournal.com]

It is dangerous having you here. :)