Further to my rash proclamation that I hate Windows programming! I have to humbly issue a retraction (lest the machines drive me mad)

It turns out that I’m just too lazy and impatient to RTFM.

Having stepped back a bit, dug out some old books and done a bit of Googling, I’m getting it under control and one of the main driving factors of this project is coming into play - i.e. it’s a big learning experience in an arena that I have had not enough exposure to.

My demands on the Windows development aspect of it are not enough to warrant my tirade - since that impetuous posting I’ve actually got on quite well and have serial communication starting to happen. What’s holding me back currently is my inadequacies in C (let alone C++) programming but I will have to sort that out as I currently intend to use C to program the Microchip devices.

So where did I stash my old Uni textbooks? I know I’ve got kernighan and ritchie somehwere!

It’s been a good few years since I tried in earnest to write anything for the Windows environment, but a day wrestling with Visual C++ and it all comes flooding back.

Why is everything so flaming complicated?

It may seem to be easy to do relatively simple things like designing dialogs and laying things out in a window, but when it comes to tying it all together and doing something useful with the app - and bear in mind that I tend to do I/O or other such functionality - it’s a bleeding nightmare.

So I’m sat here frustrated when I start remembering how much more satisfying I found Java when I was developing neural networks and genetic algorithms. ‘Can I talk to serial interfaces and read from joysticks?’ I wonder, and a quick bit of Googling and I’ve found a few references to potentially useful iraries and I have to say it looks hopeful.

So before I fully commit to the hateful slog that will be Visual C++ development, I might spend a few hours seeing if my forehead will have less brick imprints if I build usingJava instead.

It certainly would have a nicer feel to it.