Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!uccba!mead!nxh
From: nxh@mead.UUCP (Nobuya Higashiyama)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Windows Shareware
Keywords: shareware, conventions, community
Message-ID: <1245@meaddata.mead.UUCP>
Date: 30 Aug 90 13:24:27 GMT
References: <10297@life.ai.mit.edu> <1990Aug24.154449.3650@evax.arl.utexas.edu>
Sender: usenet@mead.UUCP
Reply-To: mead!nxh@uccba.uc.edu
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
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In article <1990Aug24.154449.3650@evax.arl.utexas.edu> opperman@evax.arl.utexas.edu (Roger Opperman) writes:
>In article <10297@life.ai.mit.edu> rpk@rice-chex.ai.mit.edu (Robert Krajewski) writes:
>>I'm disappointed at the quality of Windows shareware I've seen, especially
>>compared to Mac.  Now, I appreciate any that I find, but I've seen
>[  misc. detailed descriptions omitted ]
>>of Windows programming folklore.  There's nothing like Think C or MPW;
>>DOS sux as a programming environment.
>
>There are a few differences in the situation here.  Mac shareware (and
>shareware developers) has been under development for 4-5 years now.
>Windows 3 has only been out for a couple of months.  The prohibitive
>cost of the SDK probably has a lot to do with it also.

Another problem has to do with the sheer complexity of Windows programming.
There are 450+ functions to keep track of, memory management that takes quite
a bit of time to get used to (we're talking about accessing blocks of memory
by using handles), concepts that are unfamiliar to many programmers (message
passing architecture, a little flavor of OOP, handles, working with window
manager, etc.), and lot of other nasties.  I think the industry saying is that
it takes an average programmer about 6 months to become a seasoned Windows
programmer (and this working full-time).  Not many shareware authors can spend
that much time just learning to use it.

									Higgy
--
Nobuya "Higgy" Higashiyama                     |  ____/|
Data Integrity Systems                         |  \ o.O|  Vote for Bill in '92!
Mead Data Central, Dayton, OH                  |   =(_)=
mead!nxh@uccba.uc.edu (or) ...!uccba!mead!nxh  |     U     ACK! THPHTH!