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From: mmshah@athena.mit.edu (Milan M Shah)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Re: Borland C++ 2.0, report #2
Message-ID: <1991Mar12.061731.20593@athena.mit.edu>
Date: 12 Mar 91 06:17:31 GMT
References: <1991Mar8.143010.8525@ccad.uiowa.edu> <7DoLy6w163w@turbo.atl.ga.us>
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Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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In article <7DoLy6w163w@turbo.atl.ga.us> greg@turbo.atl.ga.us writes:
>cadsi@ccad.uiowa.edu (CADSI) writes:
>
>> I've seen many applications, one being the ever so famous WinQVT
>> program, die miserably when running the Debug version of
>> the Windows kernel.  Please tell me how to run the Debug version of the 
>> Windows kernels without the SDK????  Is this important????  Absolutely.
>
>What is the debug version of Windows?? What does it do different from
>the regular Windows??
>
>----
>Greg Montgomery | Montgomery Consultants, Inc. | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A

Yes! I can't believe how many applications die when run under the Debug
version of Windows. The Debug version of windows is a version of windows that
comes with the SDK. It is exactly like the 'regular' windows, except it comes
with certain symbol tables for the modules that make up windows, *and it has
checking built in to warn of certain error conditions.* For example, if one
tries to delete a StockObject like the White Brush, the regular windows will
shrug its shoulders and go on its merry way, perhaps to later die in a
totally bizarre way. The debug version of windows will try to write to the 
infamous aux port and indicate in its own lucid hexadecimal manner where the
problem is. 

WinQVT, which I patiently downloaded, dies when I try to quit. Meaning it
completely hangs, three finger salute time. Also, the wsmooth 'utility' that
was published in PC Mag some moons ago deleted stock objects all over the
place. I couldn't believe the thing was actually printed in a Mag of some
reputation. (I did fix that one, and shipped it to some users on the net).

What's amazing is that all these pre BC++ apps were obviously developed using
SDK + MSC 6.00. All these developers had to do was type in n2d at their prompt!
This would have switched them to the debug versions, and they would have
easily developed more robust versions of their apps.

Oh well.

Milan
.