The Old New Thing
Practical development throughout the evolution of Windows.
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Nov 4, 2026
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There are things with ranks, but it’s not always clear what the ranks mean
The problem with documentation written by people who know the feature too well.
Nov 3, 2026
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How do you implement a random-access database when you don’t have random-access external storage?
You just store it all in memory, in your own program.
Nov 2, 2026
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Sneaking into the auditorium for the Windows 2000 launch rehearsal
Wait, that's not him.
Oct 30, 2026
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The Microsoft building that was reportedly haunted
Lots of rumors, little confirmation.
Oct 29, 2026
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The support case of a customer who said that all they could see was a black screen
Then again, that is what they asked for.
Oct 28, 2026
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C++/WinRT overcorrection: Using make_self and immediately converting it to the projected interface
You are taking the scenic route.
Oct 27, 2026
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Why don’t we run the taskbar and Task Manager at high priority, so they can remain responsive?
Hurry up and wait.
Oct 26, 2026
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Puzzling out why a program doesn’t work when run from a batch file, but works when double-clicked from Explorer
Mimicking the operation more accurately.
Oct 23, 2026
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Why didn’t we use the COM static store to clean up the unmarshalable delegate?
It cleans up at the wrong time.