Blog index

Below are a collection of likely nerdy topics that have been stuck in my head for a few years, dumped here for posterity. As a long time Windows developer, topics might reflect that bias.

Visual C++ 6 linking for NT 3.1: Visual C++ 6 could target NT 3.1, but the linker has some strange quirks (27 May 2017)
Being native Windows and OS/2: Windows Libraries for OS/2 was impressive technology, even if relatively unknown (12 May 2017)
Marking NE binaries compatible: Sometimes binaries need to declare support for a new thing and work on an old thing (07 May 2017)
Using \\?\ to exceed MAX_PATH: MAX_PATH is an outdated limit that's not needed on any recent version of Windows, but there's a key piece missing to eradicate it (26 Mar 2017)
\\?\ is what you want, despite ugliness: Many people use \\?\ to overcome MAX_PATH, but it really should be used anyway (17 Mar 2017)
Implementing Autoconf in NMAKE: NMAKE is the most primitive make still in existence but it has a powerful hidden primitive (11 Mar 2017)
A visual history of Visual C++: A catalog of the versions of Visual C++ over the years with screenshots (04 Mar 2017)
A good compiler with bad defaults: Visual C++ 6 is a venerable piece of code, but changing defaults left a bad first impression (01 Mar 2017)
Patching closed software for beginners: Without source code, programs can be debugged and altered. (25 Feb 2017)
Shimming real software: Without source code, real programs can be made to work on old versions of Windows. (22 Feb 2017)
Import table shimming: Without source code, many function dependencies can be shimmed. (20 Feb 2017)
Import table reductions with minicrt: With source code, many function dependencies can be removed. (18 Feb 2017)
Import table dependencies: Programs can depend on functions that aren't available and won't work. (16 Feb 2017)
PE subsystem version field, part 2: The PE subsystem version determines if programs will work. (14 Feb 2017)
PE subsystem version: The PE subsystem version changes how programs are displayed. (12 Feb 2017)