The Win32 API (Platform SDK)

The Win32 API is the original set of routines provided by Microsoft to Windows programmers. As recently as 2002, knowledge of the Win32 API was an essential part of creating software for Windows. Today, most programmers don’t directly use the Win32 API, instead working in .NET, which provides a new generation of routines for them to use. However, if a program is particularly technical, there are occasions where Win32 experience can still be invaluable – and the understanding of the internal structure of Windows can also provide insights to solve problems at any time. Most of Blueberry's developers have this expertise.

Borland C++ Builder (BCB)

Borland C++ Builder was Blueberry's preferred environment for the development of graphical Windows applications before .NET. BCB was a C++ version of the Delphi development system: Delphi was invented by Borland Software in the 90’s, and was famous for being extremely productive – good Delphi developers could create applications much more quickly than C++ developers. Part of the key to Delphi’s success was an extensive library of components called VCL, which BCB also used. Interestingly, the chief architect of Delphi later moved to Microsoft, and became chief architect of the .NET project, which borrowed heavily from Delphi as well as Java.

Blueberry now prefers to use .NET for new development projects, but our sister company, Blueberry Software, still successfully uses BCB to develop BB FlashBack. Our historic association with the Borland tools means we’re particularly suited to projects involving the conversion of old BCB or Delphi projects to .NET.

MS Visual C++ (MSVC)

MS Visual C++ was Microsoft’s main C++ development platform before the arrival of .NET. Blueberry preferred to use Borland C++ Builder because it allowed us to be more productive, but for projects without a strong GUI component we frequently used MSVC, together with the Microsoft Foundation Classes - the GUI library used by MSVC.

Although .NET and C# is now the preferred programming platform for new projects, C++ is still very much part of the Visual Studio package and Blueberry has extensive experience of working with it.

COM/ActiveX/ATL

COM is a Microsoft standard that allows applications to be put together from modules (components) written in different languages. In practice, COM is the “base standard” on top of which many different Microsoft technologies have been built - like ActiveX, Automation, DCOM, ATL etc. Blueberry has significant experience of working with COM technologies; we use ATL or ActiveX whenever it elegantly solves a client’s problem.

However, Blueberry feels that COM is more than a little over-complicated; we are pleased to see that .NET is gradually introducing alternatives to replace this technology.

XML

Reading the computer press, you'd be forgiven for thinking that XML is a religion - not a simple file format. The hype about XML has happened partly because it solves the problem-of-the-moment: business system integration. Business and software companies have spent billions over the past few years trying to make their systems work together. Technologies like Corba, DCOM and Java RMI all claim to make this easy, but mostly they've been found to be too complex.

XML (and SOAP) solves this by returning to first principles - XML files are plain text, readable by anyone - so debugging systems using XML becomes much easier. Blueberry has used structured text files in many projects before the advent of XML, as part of our 'design for testability' process. Now, XML is used wherever possible.