Translation Guide between Managed Extensions and the new C++/CLI binding Available

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C and C++ programmers are notorious for relying on pointer indirection, and it seems blog entries are not immune to this. A translation guide attempting to exhaustively detail the differences between the original Managed Extensions for C++ (released with Visual Studio.NET) and the revised C++ binding to the CLI scheduled for Visual Studio 2005 (and attempting to provide some motivation behind each change) has been posted on MSDN at the following URL:

 

https://msdn.microsoft.com/visualc/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dnvs05/html/TransGuide.asp

 

Although there has been considerable effort made in correcting all errors within the text, I am sadly aware that how imperfect these pieces of mine nevertheless turn out. So, on the one hand, I believe this guide will prove valuable to those needing this information. On the other hand, I also believe there are areas that (a) could have been made clearer, and (b) details that … well, that are in error. If you do use this guide and find either (a) or (b) (or some (c), (d), or (e) not itemized), please let me know, either by a comment to this entry or by a private email.

 

Speaking of which – comments, that is. Due to the open nature of the internet, the providers of this site have found it necessary to provide a form of budget firewall – that is, they have put in place a facility to moderate the comments. This basically means that I see each comment before it becomes public, and it requires a click of my mouse in order for it to be published. I have not – not as yet, anyway – not published a comment; however, oddly enough, I can't prove that.

 

In any case, those of you whom have been reading this from the beginning will notice that patchwork pieces of the translation guide have been posted here in one form or another. Often, comments have helped me recognize shortcomings and recast material in a hopefully more comprehensible manner. For example, my treatment of deterministic finalization in the translation guide was considerably reworked to address some of the posted comments to the initial blog entry on that topic. As W.H.Auden said in a different context, a piece of writing is never finished, it is simply abandoned.