New Content in the Visual Studio 6.0 Edition of the MSDN Library
Technical Articles
Backgrounders
Microsoft Knowledge Base
Books
Periodicals
Revised Content in the Visual Studio 6.0 Edition of the MSDN Library
Office Documentation
SDK Documentation
Platform SDK
Specifications
Note For the latest content updates and vital post-release information, including known problems and their fixes as well as answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs), be sure to check out the MSDN Release Notes Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/msdn/services/subscription/release.htm.
Here is an overview of the new documentation we have acquired for this edition of the MSDN Library.
These are listed in two places here in the Welcome bin. For a list of all technical articles written specifically for MSDN by our team of MSDN writers, together with short summaries and links, please go to the Writer's Corner. For a list of all other technical articles (by company-wide Microsoft writers and third-party writers) that are new in this release of the MSDN Library, plus summaries and links, please go to Dr. GUI's Espresso Stand.
Backgrounders include high-level overviews, case studies, frequently asked questions, and so on. For a list of new backgrounders in this release of the MSDN Library, plus summaries and links, please go to Dr. GUI's Espresso Stand.
The Knowledge Base contains technical articles and samples that are created and maintained by Microsoft Technical Support. This comprehensive database contains more than 40,000 detailed articles with technical information about Microsoft products, fix lists, documentation errors, and answers to commonly asked technical support questions.
This version of the Microsoft Knowledge Base was acquired for this release of the MSDN Library on March 23, 1998. Click here to go to the top of the MSDN Knowledge Base node.
Understanding Thin-Client/Server Computing by Joel Kanter
Understanding Thin-Client/Server Computing provides thorough coverage of the thin-client/server technology developed by Citrix Systems for Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Windows NT. The thin-client/server technology provides high performance at a lower cost, and this approach simplifies software updates, configuration, training, and maintenance. This book also provides an invaluable overview of issues such as:
By special arrangement with the publisher, MSDN has been allowed to reprint a portion of the following books in the MSDN Library. We have selected for inclusion specific chapters that we feel would most interest our readers and which discuss topics underrepresented in the Library.
Professional Active Server Pages (Chapters 5-8)
Every so often a book comes along that when you read it, you know you need to get a copy of it. Professional Active Server Pages is one of those books. The entire book contains information that is invaluable for developing good Active Server Pages, but we've chosen to focus on chapters 5 through 8.
Chapter 5, "Advanced Database Techniques," covers OLE DB/ADO/ASP, and would be useful for anyone developing and ASP-based system requiring database access.
Chapters 6, 7, and 8 define client/server environment and how it relates to Web-based ASP development.
Professional Visual C++ 5 ActiveX/COM Control Programming (Chapters 8-9)
Professional Visual C++ 5 ActiveX/COM Control Programming is an excellent book on ActiveX COM Control programming that covers much of what COM control developers should be considering today.
Chapter 8, "Distributed Objects with DCOM," discusses setting up machines on a network and configuring them correctly for Distributed COM.
Chapter 9, "Security," deals with security over an intranet and over the Internet. Addressing such topics as ISAPI (the Internet Services API), DCOM, and SIDs (security identifiers), this chapter is an excellent overview of the various components of network security.
February 1998
Using ActiveX and Java Applets Together
January 1998
Making #INCLUDE Files "Hackproof"
December 1997
Using Active Messaging to Create and Send E-mail Messages
February 1998
Implementing a Successful Registry Backup Strategy
January 1998
Sharing Files with Services for Macintosh
December 1997
Knowing What Hackers Know About Your Network
January 1998
Transactions: Take the ACID Test
February 1998
User-friendly Field Advance
January 1998
Building External Objects with Visual Basic
December 1997
Extending Visual Basic to the Internet
January 1998
Scriptlets
Secure Logins
Using J/Direct to Call the Win32 API from Java
January 1998
Agents Revealed: An Introduction to Microsoft Agents
December 1997
Keyboard Class: From Windows-API Chaos to VBA Class-Module Calm
February 1998
An Introduction to Two Approaches: Dynamic Publishing over the Web
December 1997
Publishing Access 97 Data on the Web
Volume 12, Number 12 (December 1997)
Bugslayer
C++ Q & A
The COM+ Programming Model Makes It Easy to Write Components in Any Language
Editor's Note
Under the Hood
A Programmer's Perspective on New System DLL Features in Windows NT 5.0, Part II
The Visual Programmer
Implementing the New Win32 Driver Model for Windows 98 and Windows NT 5.0
Volume 12, Number 11 November 1997)
ActiveX/COM Q & A
C++ Q & A
Editor's Note
Under the Hood
A Programmer's Perspective on New System DLL Features in Windows NT 5.0, Part I
Surveying the New Win32 Driver Model for Windows 98 and Windows NT 5.0
Win32 Q & A
Volume 12, Number 10 (October 1997)
A Preview of Active Channel and the Active Desktop for Internet Explorer 4.0
C++ Q & A
Editor's Note
Introducing the Bugslayer: Annihilating Bugs in an Application Near You
Under the Hood
The Visual Programmer
Wicked Code
Design a Windows NT Service to Exploit Special Operating System Facilities
February 1998
Getting to Know Beans: JavaBeans in Visual J++
Java SDK 2.0: A Two-Way Bridge Between ActiveX and Java
January 1998
From CAB to JAR: A Utility for Converting Cabinet Files into Java Archives
December 1997
Unraveling Threads
February 1998
Creating an Expanding Menu
January 1998
Scriptlets: A New and Powerful Way to Web Computing
December 1997
Developing Active Desktop Items for IE 4.0
February 1998
The Basics of ActiveX
January 1998
Taming the GridBagLayout Class
December 1997
Introducing the AFC
February 1998
Coping with a Corrupt Registry
January 1998
Freeing Hard Disk Space Automatically
December 1997
How Secure Is Your Network?
The Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit has been updated with the latest new content.
Data Access Objects 3.5 SDK Documentation has been merged with the Platform SDK.
Microsoft SDK for Java Version 3.0 Pre-Release 2 has been merged with the Platform SDK.
The Windows CE Desktop Emulation SDK has been integrated into the Platform SDK documentation. You can now find this documentation under the title Windows CE Programmer's Guide.
The following portions of the Platform SDK have been revised:
Introduction
Database and Messaging Services
Graphics and Multimedia Services
Internet, Intranet, and Extranet Services
Networking and Distributed Services
Reference
Setup and Systems
User Interface Services
Windows Base Services
Windows Programming Guidelines
Specification for the Open Software Description (OSD) Format
This document provides an initial proposal for the Open Software Description (OSD) format. OSD, an application of the Extensible Markup Language (XML), is a vocabulary used for describing software packages and their dependencies for heterogeneous clients. We expect OSD to be useful in automated software distribution environments.
This document provides an initial proposal for a specification (XML-Data) for exchanging structured and networked data on the Web. This specification uses XML, the Extensible Markup Language, for describing data, as well as data about data. We expect XML-Data to be useful for a wide range of applications, such as describing database transfers, digital signatures, or remotely-located Web resources.