Should I do win32

[caroundw5h]

I've been debating whether or not to do any win32 programming for fear that it will become obosolete in the near future - five years tops. because of longhorn i'm wondering will it even be worth while to learn the API. what do you guys think?

on msdn , they have the following quote

The Windows API can be used in all Windows-based applications. The same functions are generally supported on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.

. The key word there is generally and i'm wondering just how ambiguous this seems. you think maybe it will be obosolete because of C# and mfc?? really need you guys input. Thanks.

[edit]and then i find this that seems to suggest they just keep updating it. whats up. [/edit]

[XSquared]

Well, even if a new API other than the current one does come out, it helps to know the current one, because lots of companies will have maintenance programmer positions for their programs. Heck, look at things like COBOL and FORTRAN, it still helps to know them.

[caroundw5h]

I suppse so. I'd hate to be working on legacy code though. Though I heard a quote once

remains the unfortunate truth that there are more professional Cobol programmers than C programmers, more C++ programmers than Java programmers, and for many years there will be more Java programmers than there are followers of the successor language. Most people are perpetually held back by legacy code. Nobody knows the meaning of "legacy" more than Cobol programmers, who are often maintaining 25-year old programs. Windows application programmers are held back by 5 to 10 year-old code

so I guess i'll at least be guaranteed a job.

[Dante Shamest]

90% of .NET is built on Win32 anyway. Plus, Win32 works on more Windows machines. Not everybody has .NET installed.

[caroundw5h]

interesting. sounds like your saying in order to execute .net. you need a .net runtime environment. I didn't know that. I assumed like most of micro's products they already came preinstalled. correct me if i'm wrong.

[Dante Shamest]

Yup, you need the .NET framework to run .NET applications.

However, it'd probably be installed by default in Longhorn.