For those of use that prefer our technical information printed on paper, Microsoft Press has a book that should hopefully get you started with the new APIs, creating rich Windows 7 enhanced applications in no time.

Introducing Windows 7 for Developers is that book. A collaborative effort between Yochay Kiriaty, Laurence Moroney, Sasha Goldshtein and Alon Fliess, this book looks at most of the cool new features in Windows 7, and how to use them in your own applications.

What it Covers

The book covers the major new features in Windows 7 like the Superbar and Multi-touch, as well as the how to implement the Ribbon that is included for all developers in the new OS. However the book does not cover the new DirectX APIs like Direct2D and DirectWrite, claiming that the APIs are simply too large to cover. Small overviews are provided of each technology so you have somewhere to start from.

The book covers developing for Windows 7 as both a native (C++) developer and a C#/.NET developer, however I noticed quite a large focus on the C++ side of things. The big strength of the book is in explaining the process for working with these new technologies, rather than the syntax. If you find the .NET explanation insufficient, there should be numerous resources online that provide the syntax and class definitions for working with the .NET Windows 7 libraries.

A very short overview is provided at the end for developer oriented features such as troubleshooting or profiling. I would have liked to have seen more detail on these topics, and some of the other “hidden” features of Windows 7 that make maintaining and developing applications easier.

Style

The book approaches each topic with an overview of the new feature, before diving into implementing some example applications that make use of the features. This hybrid theory/hands-on approach works quite well, however the authors expect the reader to know how to work with the other technologies used like WPF.

I found the examples to be simple, but effective. They get straight to the point and tell you what you need to know to get the specific task done. In the topic on multi-touch, they provide examples on what each type of touch should be used for, and throughout the book they provide small overviews of the API relating to that particular topic.

There are plenty of diagrams, tables and screenshots that demonstrate what is going on, and many of those will even provide a little hint on where you can go past the samples and play around with more advanced features.

Conclusion

For those who have a solid background in developing for Windows in general, either using MFC or WPF/WinFoms for .NET, you will find this book to be a good starting point for enhancing your applications with the new features in Windows 7. Topics are explained in detail before they work on implementation, and through this you can gain an understanding of how the features should be used in your application. This is especially important with multi-touch, where there are standard gestures that you should not alter – although you certainly can go your own route, and the book will explain how to do that as well.

Weighing in at 395 pages (including Index), this book is not a hefty tome like many other programming books. The abundance of lists, figures and code samples means that you won’t be reading giant blocks of text all of the time, which makes the reading experience much nicer. This is certainly an introductory book for a very specific topic, and if you are interested in working with these technologies, I would highly recommend using this book as a starting point.

MS Press Australia sells this book through its online store for $69.95 AUD.

Book Details

Title: Introducing Windows 7 for Developers
Author: Yochay Kiriaty, Laurence Moroney, Sasha Goldshtein, Alon Fliess
ISBN: 978-0-7356-2682-9

Buy from Microsoft Press Australia (AU $65.95)

MCTS Self Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-536): Microsoft .NET Framework – Application Development Foundation
Author

At first look, Microsoft .NET Framework – Application Development Foundation sounds like it would just cover the basics of application development in .NET, and one would need to look elsewhere for further information. However those who have looked at the exam description will realise that the “Foundation”  description is rather extensive, ranging from using basic types and collections, through to using the Cryptography classes to secure your applications.

This book is an official training kit designed to teach, or at least push developers to pass the 70-536 Microsoft .NET Framework – Application Development Foundation exam. Whilst you will find plenty of new information about new technologies like Silverlight 3.0, or the changes coming in .NET 4, it is crucial that as a developer you have a solid understanding of the foundations of .NET.

To cover the broad range of content that the exam looks at, the book has been written to cover each topic quickly, but with enough information so the reader either understands, or has enough knowledge to search further, either online or in other books, to expand their knowledge. For example Generics, a powerful aspect of .NET, is covered in about 4 pages, however in those four pages you get to understand what Generics are, how to use them in their most basic form, and for a beginner, this is conveyed in a way that is easy to understand.

You will notice that the title of the book is not specific about which language the book covers, this is because all code samples in the book come in both VB.NET and C#, so whichever language you use, this book will still apply to you. This also lets the book demonstrate the cross-language capabilities given by the .NET platform.

I found that the author wrote very clearly, covering the topics well in the small amount of space he used for each. Each topic basically consists of a short description paragraph, and then a piece of sample code in VB/C#. However whilst the pieces are short and cover the topic well, I found the code samples, which describe how to use each feature, did not have much in the way of comments; generally a single line comment indicating what is happening next, and then a block of code.

If you are looking for a very quick run through the foundations of .NET, or you are a beginner to .NET, this book is very good. It will set you up perfectly for further learning into the areas you want to focus on, and if you ever need the other aspects of the framework, you at least know the basics and have a starting point to learn more. The book comes in at around 700 pages, covering 16 major areas of the .NET framework.

You can buy the book from Microsoft Press using this link.

MSPRESS1

Happy Birthday Microsoft Press Australia!

If you have been interested in getting a book from MS PRESS, now is the perfect time to do so.

This offer is valid until midnight June 20th 2009.

http://www.mspress.com.au/promotion_mspress1.aspx

Overview

“Get the preeminent guide to programming application for Windows with C++. Programming Applications for Microsoft Windows is a classic book (formerly titled Advanced Windows, Third Edition) and is now fully updated for Windows Vista, including the latest information about Windows XP. In-depth and comprehensive, this essential reference covers the Windows operating system and how to program at the API level. Recognized experts provide an inside view of how Windows works and how to use its features in Visual C++ development tasks. Topics covered include processes, thread pooling, virtual memory, DLLs, file I/O, and message crackers. For systems-level programmers, this is a must-have title. Includes code samples in Visual C++.”

Review

Although the title of the book is slightly misleading, this book certainly accomplishes what the overview says. The authors provide a great wealth of information concerning Windows development topics like Threading, Process Management, working with memory, DLLs and many other areas.

Weighing in at 800+ pages, this is a extensive guide to working with Windows. The book presents the information at a rapid pace and ultimately works better as a reference book than something you sit down and read. For example I was working on a wrapper for the Windows API INI functions for a game, and whilst I have worked with strings before, I have not worked much with the Unicode strings that Windows uses. This book really helped me to understand the many different available functions, and realise that even if you use the ASCII versions, Windows will convert behind-the-scenes. (Which could have a detrimental effect on performance)

Whether it be working with strings, or working with DLLs, this book will provide a nice overview of the many different functions available to you in the Windows API, as well as short instructions on how to best make use of them.

The book is split into Strings, Processes/Threads, Memory Management, DLLs and exceptions, and each part has many sub-parts each containing a wealth of information on the topic. Each chapter is laid out with a summary of how you would accomplish the tasks in each area (Thread creation etc), and for each function and structure you may use (or group of functions/structures), there is a small summary of the best way to make use of the capabilities of the function, as well as tables describing each part of the structure or the parameters for the function.

The book not only covers the correct ways to accomplish a task, but also provides information on legacy equivalents in case you encounter them or have to use them. (Although it does strongly advise you use the newer forms)

For those doing Engineering at UTS, this book covers the Windows API equivalents of what you would learn in Real Time Operating systems, and includes all the information about inter-process communication and inter-thread communication. I am unsure what IT students do as an equivalent (if there is one).

You can find the table of contents in the book’s MSDN article here and there is also excerpts from two chapters so you can get a nice example of the structure and writing style, that way you can try before you buy.

This book is aimed at intermediate or advanced developers who already have an understanding of C++ and want to work in a Windows environment. Most of this book applies to both CLI and Win32 development, and could even be used in Game development, as long as it uses the Windows APIs. The book is also up to date with the changes for Vista.

I would say this is a must get for any C++ Windows developer’s reference library. It has many applications and the theory of how things work in Windows on a lower level can be taken into many other languages.

If you are still beginning C++ development, you should probably steer clear from this book for now, and pick it up later when you have a better grasp of the language. This book provides very short and concise code samples that generally only cover the correct way to use a feature instead of a complete sample application. It assumes that you have experience with working with C++ and all of the language specific features, and is best used to extend your knowledge into Windows specific areas.

Rating: 8/10

I have an extra copy of the book to give away, so just leave a comment about the review or the book and I will pick one at random. Preferably Sydney or Melbourne only, since the book is thick and pretty big. If you are not located in Sydney/Melbourne and still want it (and win), then you may need to cover the shipping costs.

You buy this book from Microsoft Press Australia for $145, and get 40% off RRP if you use the code TOOLS when ordering. (Valid until May 2009)

Aside from the 40% off promotion, all students get 20% off if you buy from the online store at www.mspress.com.au, and if you happen to find that Amazon has a cheaper price, then MS Press will match it as well!