New Visual Studio 2013 Express

[mgh]

For information, just downloaded Visual Studio 2013 Express to try it.

Unlike Visual Studio 2010 Express it doesn't seem to be possible to download C++, c#, or VB separately. They all come bundled in.

C++ 2013 adds the Managed Test Project and Native Unit Test Project applications (whatever they are) but has omitted the Windows Forms Application.

I tried to build some sample/tutorials from the DirectX SDK. These are for VC++ 2010 but VC++ 2013 recognises that and (apparently) converts them. However they fail to build in VC++ 2013 returning a LNK1207 error. Worse, the conversion results in them then failing to build in VC++ 2010!

One step forward - two steps back!!

[Pete Dowson]

However they fail to build in VC++ 2013 returning a LNK1207 error.

Seems an easy enough fix:

"Linker Tools Error LNK1207

incompatible PDB format in 'filename'; delete and rebuild

This version of LINK cannot write to the existing program database (PDB). Delete the PDB and rebuild."

Pete

[mgh]

Seems an easy enough fix:

That is true, but the conversion doesn't work out-of-the-box and leaves the application in a state where it no longer builds in either VC 2010 or 2012 without user intervention.

The application can be restored to VC 2010 by changing all occurrences of v110 to v100 in the .vcxproj file - there were 6 in the sample file I used.

the Windows Forms Application is still missing.

[Pete Dowson]

the Windows Forms Application is still missing.

Maybe part of the cut-down to make it an "Express" edition?

Pete

[mgh]

Maybe part of the cut-down to make it an "Express" edition?

It was in Visual C++ 2010 Express. How many want to write "raw" Windows rather than using an IDE/RAD for most of their applications?

[Pete Dowson]

It was in Visual C++ 2010 Express. How many want to write "raw" Windows rather than using an IDE/RAD for most of their applications?

No idea. I for one, for sure. I don't like to be too far away from the hardware. i use Assembly code as well when I feel it can do a better job! ;-)

Pete

[mgh]

I don't think I've used assembler since the early 70s on an Elliott 503.

[Pete Dowson]

I don't think I've used assembler since the early 70s on an Elliott 503.

I started as a test programmer on Leo Computers, way back in 1963. Not even assembly code to begin with -- pure binary bootstrapping hand punched on tape (using a unipunch!), to load in a Hex Loader so I could then feed in programs written in hexadecimal machine code typed on a telex machine. When we got as far as getting Assembers working it was pure luxury! I then wrote my first multi-tasking engineer's supervisor to build the rest of the test suite upon. Of course each level had to test its way through. This was all for large mainframes being developed and built whilst we worked!

I later dabbled in higher level languages like Algol, Fortran and APL, but really only used assembly language until the Pet 2001 computer came out in the late 70's. Then it was a mix of that and 'Basic' (ugh). My first serious program for PCs (Wordcraft) was developed mostly in BCPL, a predecessor to C from Cambridge University.

Showing my age, aren't I? ;-)

Pete

[mgh]

I'll show my age too :( The first digital computer I programmed was the Ferranti Pegasus at Hawker Aircraft in the early 60s. I also ended up responsible the company's analogue computers -remember those?

[Pete Dowson]

I also ended up responsible the company's analogue computers -remember those?

I knew of them. In fact till recently I owned an ATC610 analogue flight simulator console, designed for IFR training. All the aspects of flying, the inputs and results, carried out by interacting analogue circuits. Amazing! I even had the maintenance manual showing most of the circuitry. Too complex for me -- digital systems are so much simpler really!

Pete

[mgh]

Hawker's had a purpose-built analogue computer at the back of the Project Office to help with flight dynamics during the design of the P1127 - the Harrier's predecessor. The test pilots used to "fly" it while we adjusted the potentiometers that represented the aircraft's characteristics to get acceptable characteristics.

It used a crude wooden mock-up of a cockpit and a stick and rubber from a scrapped Hunter with a Hunter throttle box modified by adding an extra lever for the nozzles The display was a 6" twin-beam oscilloscope. One beam ran the full width of the display and represented the horizon. The second was a short beam at right angles to the first. That represented a "tree" on the horizon. It was simple but effective.