What happends to Win32 in next Windows version?

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Comics

Does Microsoft remove Win32 from Windows in next Windows release?
Does .NET cover low lovel API too?
 
Comics,

I assume you are referring to WinFX. No, it will not _replace_ Win32.
I believe that its intent is to implement and expand the existing
functionality in Win32. In some cases, WinFX will probably be a
managed wrapper around Win32 functionality, in other cases, I assume
that it will call directly into the kernel, and in other cases the
functionality may reside in pure managed code. WinFX is simply the
"new way" to do things, but Win32 will still be there.

Regards,
Colin
http://www.colinneller.com/blog
 
..NET is there to 'abstract away' Win32. It allows MS to change underlying
technologies as they require whilst not impacting the application that
relies on its functionality.
 
The understanding that I took away from PDC05 in LA is that WinFX (aka
Avalon) is in fact a replacement for GDI and GDI+, and is a move away
from bitmapped graphics alone to vector graphics *and* bitmapped
graphics as equally valid ways of rendering things in Windows.

I thought that the opposite was true: that either WinFX and GDI / GDI+
would coexist side-by-side, or that GDI / GDI+ would be re-implemented
as a wrapper around WinFX / Avalon.

Either way, Win32 graphics isn't "going away". Everything that worked
before will still work in the world of Vista.

Of course, I could be completely off base here....
 
Bruce Wood said:
The understanding that I took away from PDC05 in LA is that WinFX (aka
Avalon) is in fact a replacement for GDI and GDI+, and is a move away
from bitmapped graphics alone to vector graphics *and* bitmapped
graphics as equally valid ways of rendering things in Windows.
Click to expand...

Hang on a sec - WinFX is more than just Avalon (whose new name is WPF -
Windows Presentation Foundation). The other two "pillars" are WWF
(Windows Workflow Foundation) and WCF (Windows Communication
Foundation, aka Indigo).

Those are the main parts of WinFX, but I'd expect there to be more as
well...
 
Bruce,

Your understanding of WinFX is a little too narrow. WinFX includes the
entire platform API (I/O - WinFS, networking - WCF, etc.), not just
graphics - Avalon/WPF.

I agree, "Win32 graphics isn't 'going away'", but neither is the rest
of the Win32 API. Also true, in order to fully leverage Vista
technologies (WPF/Avalon, WCF, WinFS, etc.), you will need to use
WinFX.

Regards,
Colin
http://www.colinneller.com/blog
 
Point taken.

I wish they'd just stuck with Vista, Avalon, Indigo, etc. I'm getting
my W's confused. :-)

Nonetheless, the idea that I took away is that this stuff isn't just
going to be a "wrapper" around Win32. More the other way around, I
thought.
 
I wish they'd just stuck with Vista, Avalon, Indigo, etc. I'm getting
my W's confused. :-)
Click to expand...

I'm with you on that one. To quote Chris Anderson, "yes, 'WPF' is
pronounced 'Avalon'... the WPF is silent".
Nonetheless, the idea that I took away is that this stuff isn't just
going to be a "wrapper" around Win32. More the other way around, I
thought.
Click to expand...

Agreed.
 
Comics said:
Does Microsoft remove Win32 from Windows in next Windows release?
Does .NET cover low lovel API too?
Click to expand...

Not at all, the current Beta adds ~4500 new native Win32 API's to the set
already available in XP SP2.
That means that all 'legacy' Win32 applications will run on Vista, only
thing that is removed is support for 16 bit apps (but these are not Win32
anyway).
The .NET framework is now installed with vista and is no longer an option,
but it's still an higher level managed code API sitting in top of the core
Win32 API's and other Win32's system services.
WinFX contains a set of new technologies targeting the .NET framework,
however, WinFX doesn't specifically target Vista it will also be made
available (the beta is available by now) for XP and W2K3.

Willy.
 
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