Readme.txt for SIB -- Small Is Beautiful
Hi.
The files enclosed here constitute a complete, state-of-the-art 32-bit
Application program compatible with any 32-bit version of Microsoft Windows,
specifically Windows 95+ and Windows NT 4.0+, but written not in C or C++ or
VB or Java ... but rather in real honest to goodness "bare metal" assembly
language!
(In my opinion too few people are even aware that it's completely possible
to write state-of-the-art Windows applications in assembly language, so I
hope that this little file will help spread the word!)
The "windows.inc" file that I've included here is a dramatic subset of the
actual windows.inc file ... which would be HUGE. In fact, I used the H2INC
conversion program to merge and convert all of the the key windows header
(*.h) files into a single MONSTER include file (1,007,227 bytes) ... but
then I could not bring myself to include that ridiculiously large file on
the front of my 10k app. So the file I actually include is called
"standard.inc". As I use new Windows API's that I don't already have in
"standard.inc" I open "the monster" and move a line or two from it over into
"standard.inc." This way I'm building "my own" include file that only calls
out those functions and structures that I really do use ... rather than
anything anyone at Microsoft ever dreamed up. (My "standard.inc" is
currently 40k so of course it also assembles *much* faster.)
To assemble the SIB.ASM file you'll need a copy of MASM, a resource
compiler, and LINK ... but that's it. In case you don't have those tools,
I've also enclosed the SIB.EXE so that you can browse around the source code
and see what it all amounts to, without needing to build the .EXE yourself.
(I hate it when some sample stuff doesn't include the result ... like a book
with typos in its source code examples!)
However .. having given you all this stuff for free, I do need to ask one
thing of you:
PLEASE DO NOT WRITE TO ME WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THIS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'M HARD AT WORK WRITING A HUGE INTERNET SERVER "THING" -- IN ASSEMBLER OF
COURSE -- UNDER WinNT AND I CAN'T PROVIDE TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR THESE FILES.
MY INTENTION IS JUST TO GIVE EXISTING ASSEMBLY PROGRAMMERS A HEAD START.
I *REALLY* DON'T WANT TO COME OFF LIKE AN SOME SNOBBY ASSHOLE (YOU PROBABLY
ALREADY KNOW THAT I'M NOT ONE) BUT ... FRANKLY ... IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO
USE THESE FILES THEN YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T BE.
Best luck with this head start!
Steve Gibson.