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Jason Sacks's Windows SDK blog

News and notes about the Windows SDK
What We Learned From You at the PDC

Thanks to everyone who stopped off to talk to us at our booth at the PDC. My team is in the process of collating our notes and coming up with action plans for implementing some of the ideas you recommended. Here are the top five bullet points I got from talking to you:

  • Users don't tend to pay attention to which SDK they use. As long as search and filtering work correctly, they don't pay attention to where they get the content. This is true whether offline or online, current releases or older releases. Users want all SDK information amalgamated into one SDK, without concern for where it comes from or what internal Microsoft machinations might produce separate SDKs. When pressed for which SDKs they use, a few people mentioned MSDN.
  • Users like the idea of being able to download dynamic updates to their documentation as long as they have the ability to choose not to download an update. When asked if they liked a Windows Update system, an RSS system or another system, people shrugged their shoulders. Just make it available, seemed to be the message.
  • Along those lines, users want to be able to keep older versions of documentation if they'd like. Perhaps they could archive older documentation to an archive directory. One user in particular mentioned that he hates to see old and useful information disappear. This is perhaps less a problem for us than other teams.
  • Talked to at least a half-dozen people who weren't aware that our SDKs even exist. Several people asked how they could get started with WPF. I directed them to the WinFX redist, our online docs, and the MSDN DevCenter. I gave each of them my card, asking them to let us know of any problems they saw. WPF can clearly be our engine to help move people over to WinFX and Vista.
  • Search in the SDK docs continues to be problematic. Again, this may be more an issue for teams other than ours. One user, for instance, mentioned the eternal problem of WinCE docs appearing when searching for Windows APIs. I wish we could get at this in a way that doesn't involve just filtering.

I also saw a lot of buzz around Windows Vista and especially around Windows Presentation Foundation, formerly code-named "Avalon". I can't wait to play with WPF myself; now that I've seen it in action, I'm anxious to use it.

Oh, and there are some FAQs available at Tim Sneath's blog that include links to presentations, downloads, keynotes and more great developer content.

Published Tuesday, September 20, 2005 6:31 PM by Jason Sacks

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# re: What We Learned From You at the PDC @ Tuesday, September 20, 2005 2:56 PM

Your SDKs are a complex story. They do not satisfy any of the target groups that they should:
1. Students:
"I don't like MSDN online," a student told me. "I can never find anything useful in it." Meaning "I cannot find any code samples to copy out," or at least "I cannot find any easy code samples for my specific task (assignment) to copy out".
Students do not want to spend 2 weeks reading all the reference (marketing) material or ado, adox, ado.net, etc, etc, in order to finish their assignment which asks them to write a simple program which connects to a database.
Some students hate Visual Basic. Why? We cannot find any useful documentation for it on MSDN.
Java is much better." Why? "Because its website and especially its forums on Sun are so helpful. You can find all sorts of code samples, especially for academic things on Java.
Plus, ask any student which SDKs they know about. Many will happily talk about the Java SDK. They know where to find it and how to download it. Windows SDK anyone? Noone. Since, it is toooooo large (700 mb my God!) and too technical. Who will spend hours downloading it, (if he/she finds it on the MS website first)? Who will read all that matterial for writing apps in C++? Who cares about the hard C++? If we do care and some do, learning Windows programming is not easy in C++. Where are the beginners' chapters in the SDK? The code samples? The ready made applications to try out? The step-by-step instructions. Oh I cannot be bathered, they will say.
Why do I have to buy a whole book for learning about writing a C++ Windows app? COM, MFC, ATL anyone? Who wants to read a book, the students will say. So boring. Java is so much easier since we learn it at college and is so good for beginners, so many tutorials for it. Windows programming, if they have heard about it, they have no matterial to get started with.
Who knows that the Microsoft C++ compiler is free? Whilst everybody knows about the gcc compiler.
2. Professionals: Yes, the C++ compiler might be free and the MSDN online is free but ... why should I search online. Your search is horrible.
Ans: Ok then, you should buy MSDN on a dvd or cd. It has lovely search and filtering capabilities.
Professionals: Why? But it is already available online.
Ans: Yes, but you have to buy it to have it on your computer.
Professionals: Why? And you have to buy Visual Studio as well? But why, why, I want to use a different tool for developing apps like Boarland cbuilder or Intel's compiler or why not Eclips.
Ans: No, no you are not allowed. Even if you download the free Platform SDK you still need to use Visual Studio.
Professionals: Why? What is that free Pla...rm SDK again? Where is that? URL? And why not allowed to used another tool?
ans: Because.
Professionals: Why?
Ans: Because the headers and libraries were tested only with Visual Studio and the latest versions of the product mind you ok? Only with Visual Studio, no Cbuilder and nonsence.
Professionals: Ok. And how can I find the solution to my problem, like I want to learn this new technology that Microsoft has been talking about or perhaps I might want to write an Office app using the new .NET assemblies.
ans: You should read the MSDN.
Professionals: Yes, but it writes and writes and writes matterial and I seem never to find what I want. I just want to write a simple Outlook add-in.
ans: Nothing is simple for Microsoft. We should write and write and write all these things because, who knows, what information all those developers out there will need to create their feature-rich apps. We want MSDn to be as rich in content as possible. Besides if you have a problem you can always get paid support.
Professionals: Ok. Ok. I know that but where are some tutorials that get you started with a new technology? Why should I read a thousand pages to learn about COM or OpenGL?
ans: Well, if you don't enjoy reading then you should not have become a professional. Now, stop talking and start reading! First come the introduction, then the legal info (be careful to read and understand all that), then the requirements, then the benefits of using that technology, then the advantages over other similar technologies, then What Is New,
Professionals: But I no nothing about that specific technology I don't want the What Is New.
ans: Who cares ... listen, then comes the overview (the only thing is that the overview is even longer than the rest of the matterial, anyway), then comes the programmer's guide and if you are not tired please read the reference section as well since that will clarify everything.
Professionals: Yes, but all I wanted to write was a simple add-in, a simple Office solution app just for compliteness to my desktop app. Can't you simply show me an example.
Ans: Oh, yes I forgot you can find the samples at the end, the only thing is that in order to understand them you will need to follow the sample chapters in order. They are not a lot around 50 I guess.
Professionals: Thanks a lot for such a rich library. You have the best SDKs. Thank you.

Nektar

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