Some Questions

[Nisheeth]

I was thinking on trying to make a window using C++.
I wanted to know that how much experience, and knowledge upto what topic must I have before I will be able to make a window without using any non-standard library (like windows.h).

Secondly, I was trying out the Debugger in VC++ Express 2010.
I found that pressing Alt+8 during runtime shows the Dissambley of the program.
But what is a Dissambley?
And why did it keep on getting larger as I came closer to its end? (The program was stopped using a Break Point at that moment)

[Moschops]

But what is a Dissambley?

It's both beautiful and terrifying. It shows you the assembly - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assembly_language - which is a direct representation of the machine code running on your processor. It's helpful for some interesting bugs, and also because it's just inherently interesting.

[Nisheeth]

@Moschops: So, do you know Assembly Language?
It clearly is very hard to learn!

Some help on the other questions?

[h9uest]

I wanted to know that how much experience, and knowledge upto what topic must I have before I will be able to make a window without using any non-standard library (like windows.h).

If you're trying to create a standard window(not just paint a window that cannot interact with messages) completely by yourself without any help from the system, I believe that even if you're the designer of windows os, which means you're absolutely clear about how windows works, you won't be able create one.

The reason is, header files like windows.h are interface of windows os. You can't access the windows api without stuff like windows.h

Since Windows os, as we all know, is not an open source os, you don't really know what the os really does. So, for you, a programmer, the windows api defines windows os.

[Nisheeth]

OK! That explains the second question as well!

The final question:
And why did it [the Dissambley] keep on getting larger as I came closer to its end?

Thanks for the explanations.

[Moschops]

@Moschops: So, do you know Assembly Language?

The language(s) itself is rather simple; it's just fundamental instructions to the processor, exercising its operations. Stringing together billions of them to make something neat is rather more difficult.

Remember Roller Coaster Tycoon? Built in assembly (with a smidge of C to interact with Win). Chris Sawyer is really very good. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RollerCoaster_Tycoon

[Nisheeth]

God, That truly is an achievement!
I have played the game, and it plainly is a complex one (from programming point of view[especially for me]).

[ResidentBiscuit]

Interesting little tidbit. My father in law's father (so my grandfather in law?) was a programmer for a 40 years. Most of this time he worked for Santa Fe. Anyways, when he started all they had was BAL (Basic assembler language, AKA assembly). So back in his day, that's all they knew, and it used to be even lower level than that! Eventually though, COBOL came out and he ended up programming with that a lot. I guess he preferred BAL over COBOL though. Said COBOL was boring to use. He preferred the challenge of using BAL. Semi off topic, I just thought it was interesting talking to him about all this.