1. Windows Programming Environments
Jim Fawcett
CSE775 – Distributed Objects
Spring 2007

2. Windows Programming Environments
Win32 API:
virtually all of the programming functionality directly or indirectly used in any Windows program, e.g., I/O, windows, controls, threads, sockets and other IPC, memory management, device management
C++ Std Libraries:
Console I/O, file abstraction, math, STL containers …, memory allocation, …
Visual Studio Libraries and Facilities:
Dialog designers, thread abstraction, COM related wrappers – smartpointers, BSTRs, …
COM Libraries and Run-Time:
Support for component models, e.g., definition of interfaces, management of lifetime, image packaging in DLLS and EXEs, persistence, structured storage, RPC …
ATL Libs:
Wrappers around COM that simplify its programming model, wrappers for COM types and smart pointers
WTL:
Wrappers around Win32 windows and controls that provide a light-weight GUI framework
MFC:
Classes, macros, and data structures that support the development of GUI applications in a heavy weight framework
.Net Managed Environment:
New execution model, wrapping of most of the Win32 API, library facilities that cover most of the C/C++ library functionality in a manner consistent with its managed environment, WinForms - a medium weight GUI framework

3. Strengths of Each Environment
Win32
Natively provides windows, controls, memory management, process management, threads, directory and file management, access to Registry.
C++
Widely supported and powerful object model, very well designed abstractions for console I/O, file management, containers, math.
Visual Studio Libraries
Smoothly integrates into all the Windows programming environments. Supports a COM-based programming model.
COM
Early and effective support for Component Engineering, allowing modifications to parts of large complex systems without rebuilding the entire system.
ATL
Efficiently and effectively hides a lot of COM’s complexity and weak encapsulation.
WTL
Very light weight and flexible wrapping of Windows many GUI facilities. Integrates well with ATL programming model.
MFC
Rapid development of complex user interfaces, provided that you want to use its models.
.Net Managed Environment
Elegant and well encapsulated wrapping of most of the Win32 API. Provides a very easy to use GUI framework, supports managed code.

4. What Environments Lack
Win32
No objects directly usable by applications
Byte and address oriented, no high-level types
C++
No threads, sockets, directory management, windows
Visual Studio Libraries
Just support for other programming environments
COM
Weak object model - no inheritance of implementation, very limited types, weak encapsulation
Weak networking, no windows
ATL
Weak windowing, no networking other than COM’s limited facilities.
WTL
Focuses exclusively on providing support for GUIs, not supported by Microsoft
MFC
Focuses mostly on providing support for GUIs with a ridgid architectural model
.Net Managed Environment
Requires run-time and libraries not found by default on Windows systems (that will change with Vista), uses a shallow reference object model, not ideal for some applications, e.g., scientific programming and memory intensive applications like medical imaging.