Windows 2999 Systems Programming Black Book [With CDROM]

I don't think categorizing as Win32 or System Programming is the book's fault. It is what I expected as a C++ programmer wanting to more about inside of Windows system. I bought it with doubt for three reasons: (1) 1/3 bad review, although it is only one (2) many used copies to be sold (3) I saw it on sale in some real world book store. But once I read it, I do think it is a very good book to start learning some system detail of Microsoft Windows. Fun to read too.

This book is basically about the applications of ActiveX (mostly MFC, but ATL is also used in Chap. 10) to Windows systems programming in a somewhat narrow sense, excluding low-level issues such as drivers, and also (mostly) security. Much of it is also relevant to NT and Win9X.The examples are very well chosen, and if you study the code carefully you'll learn a lot, for there are many interesting details not discussed in the text. Have your on-line help at the ready -- and be prepared to do some sleuthing in atlsnap.h when you get to Chap. 10! Though the author cut his teeth on UNIX, he's also a Windows expert and handles the Windows API very adroitly, making the code a real pleasure to read. A few of the code examples don't quite work "right out of the box", but it's easy to fix them. Besides, a few bumps in the road help keep me awake.The best chapters are the longest ones -- console apps, internet programming, shell programming and snap-ins (how many people know how to create a Windows shortcut programmatically?), and interprocess communications. There is also a long and useful review of ActiveX (I find some of ActiveX rather indigestible even the second or third time around). If you don't know ActiveX yet, you're not ready for this book. But Williams has written another book on ActiveX, which judging from this one should be excellent; or you can learn the subject from Grimes et al., "Beginning ATL COM Programming" as I did, or some other way. In sum, if you are already an advanced but nonexpert programmer this book will help you extend your knowledge further.

I'm only about half way through this book but it is really worth it. The material is really about Windows NT in general with a lot of Win2K-specific material but it isn't just about Win2K so if you are coming from Win98 or whatever that's OK.I liked the ActiveX part -- I finally "get" ActiveX. I've never read such a clear explanation of the WHY of ActiveX before.Because of the W2K stuff, some parts of it is stuff you probably won't use every day. I don't care about fibers or job control, but someone does I'm sure. Completion ports are obscure but I like them.The memory chapter talks alot about virtualalloc and how to make sparse arrays, read only pages and stuff. Haven't got to that yet. Haven't got to the security chapter either but it talks about PROGRAMMING security. Seems to me Kerberos is more of an admin problem -- programmers don't see the difference.The ATL stuff near the end looks good too. Now that I'm more interested in ActiveX, I want to try ATL.A big book but well worth the time.