Thread: Win32 Programming - Intructor or Book?

  1. 02-01-2003 #1
    dark_fusion
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    Win32 Programming - Intructor or Book?

    I was wondering which is better to learn Win32 programming, going into a course or trying to learn it by myself. Right now I'm fresh out of high sch and in a 9-5 job and since I've got a contract for 2.5 years, I've decided to learn something new. (In case ur wondering why I didnt go to college, its called conscription, yep the army, I live in Singapore.)

    I've got a good grasp of working with C++ and C, and I was thinking of learning Win32. A couple of places I've checked out offer Win32 training on weekends. So which should I go for?
  2. 02-01-2003 #2
    kuphryn
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    Learn from books.

    For Win32 API, I recommend Programming Windows by Charles Petzold.

    Kuphryn
  3. 02-01-2003 #3
    adrianxw
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    Yup, get a good book. Petzold is good, MS specific, but good. "Programming Windows NT4 from the Ground Up" by Herbert Schildt is also good, more compiler neutral.
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  4. 02-03-2003 #4
    EvBladeRunnervE
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    I third Programming windows by Petzold.
  5. 02-04-2003 #5
    unreg
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    the book is okay
    includes a cd with the source code
    however, i find it unusual how he starts unicode out in the beginning.
    aren't programmers supposed to be familiarized with ascii programming first and then proceed to unicode?
  6. 02-04-2003 #6
    adrianxw
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    >>> to be familiarized with ascii programming first and then proceed to unicode?

    I think that may have been true when most people were using 9x cored system which used ASCII internally. NT cored systems have always used UniCode internally and can take a performance hit when used with ASCII, (there are ways around that of course).

    Since most new systems use UniCode as their standard, why not learn that and treat ASCII as legacy?
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  7. 02-05-2003 #7
    the Wookie
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    depends on hwo you learn better

    i started from books, and didnt pick it up that well, so i took an introductory course to c++ at my community college, so that jumpstarted me...so now i pick up from books and other resources really quickly
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