Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!uunet!microsoft!paulc
From: paulc@microsoft.UUCP (Paul Canniff 2/1011)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Windows 386 and SDK problems
Message-ID: <5543@microsoft.UUCP>
Date: 22 Apr 89 00:49:05 GMT
References: <793@usl.usl.edu> <246400004@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu>
Reply-To: paulc@microsoft.UUCP (Paul Canniff 2/1011)
Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA
Lines: 27

In article <246400004@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu> mms00786@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu writes:
>
>I am a Computer Engg student, and I had decided to learn programming for a
>windowing system (Mac, MSWindows, or PM) this summer. Being a diehard IBM
>fan, I had almost decided on MSWindows. But all the notes I have read, and this
>ridiculous court suit, etc. are pretty negative (every single one of them). Is
>all this heartache worth it? Or would my efforts be better suited to learning
>'Macintosh Programmers Workshop'?
	[ remainder deleted ]

If you have IBM hardware, and want to learn how windowing systems work,
it would be wise to use MS-Windows.  Or PM if you have an OS/2 SDK, but
that's more $$$.  The things you will learn will include a lot of
Windows-specific things, BUT you will also learn very important lessons
in user-interface design, graphics, data presentation, fonts, etc
etc etc.  Unless you have a job lined up that is Mac-specific, use 
the product that runs on your hardware.  If you later get a chance to
use the Mac interface, do it.  These skills are additive, even
though some specific tricks (like Window's memory management) may
not be globally useful.

All windowing environments have differences.  But knowing any
one of them gives you a big head start for learning a different one! 

A completely unofficial opinion from ...
Paul Canniff
Microsoft