The Old New Thing
Practical development throughout the evolution of Windows.
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Apr 7, 2026
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6
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3
Were there any Windows 3.1 programs that were so incompatible with Windows 95 that there was no point trying to patch them?
The permanently ineligible list.
Apr 6, 2026
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2
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2
Learning to read C++ compiler errors: Illegal use of -> when there is no -> in sight
If the compiler is complaining about things you didn't write, find out who wrote them.
Apr 3, 2026
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3
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2
How can I use ReadDirectoryChangesW to know when someone is copying a file out of the directory?
File copying is not a fundamental operation, nor is it even detectable at the file system layer.
Apr 2, 2026
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0
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4
Why doesn’t the system let you declare your own messages to have the same semantics as WM_COPYDATA ?
Tempting but misleading.
Apr 1, 2026
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16
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14
The cover of C++: The Programming Language raises questions not answered by the cover
What are we reading about here?
Mar 31, 2026
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21
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4
Before you check if an update caused your problem, check that it wasn’t a problem before the update
It was going to be like that when I got here.
Mar 30, 2026
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4
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3
A question about the maximimum number of values in a registry key raises questions about the question
Why is this even a question?
Mar 27, 2026
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1
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4
What if a dialog wants to intercept its own message loop?
You can steal them from your owner.
Mar 26, 2026
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3
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3
Why doesn’t WM_ENTERIDLE work if the dialog box is a MessageBox?
Because it opted out.