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Windows is a chain of operating systems ("OS") created by Microsoft. It is the most well known and wide-spread OS in the world.
Windows was built with the programmer in mind (this was a marketing technique implemented by Bill Gates to attract companies to develop for the Windows operating system)and is therefore easier to compile and complete software sooner than other OS's. Introduction of RAD tools (such as Visual Studio, Embarcadero Delphi and Embarcadero C++ Builder) have made development on the Windows OS even much simpler than before.
Microsoft have also released several SDKs for more features, simpler tasks and much easier integration into the Windows operating system itself.
Windows started as a graphical window manager for DOS, not as an operating system, but as an application.
Operating Systems[]
Below is a list of Windows operating systems which are most preferred for Windows development:
- Windows 2000
- Windows XP 32-bit
- Windows XP Professional 64-bit
- Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit
- Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit
Languages[]
The most widely used languages for Windows are C and C++. After many years, Visual Basic and Delphi attracted some programmers. Recently, there has been a move to new languages such as Java, C# and Python, among others.
Compilers[]
C/C++[]
Commonly: Visual C++ is used for C and C++ development; Delphi for Pascal/Object Pascal developent; and Visual Basic for BASIC development.
Others[]
- For a more extensive list, please see: List of compilers and interpreters; where most of said compilers can be installed within Windows (unless stated otherwise).
Skills[]
GUI[]
The GUI part is usually the first thing that Windows programmers must learn. It is managed by the GDI system. It is a C API used to access the windows, buttons, menus, all the GUI controls. The program must use gdi32.dll linked through gdi32.lib.