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June 2005 - Posts

Thursday, June 30, 2005 7:00 AM

Beware of roaming user profiles

The user profile can move from machine to machine.
Posted by oldnewthing | 38 Comments
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Wednesday, June 29, 2005 7:00 AM

A simple story in pictures

Once upon a time...
Posted by oldnewthing | 6 Comments
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Wednesday, June 29, 2005 7:00 AM

Why isn't Windows Setup just a disk reimage plus a registry dump?

Many parts of Setup are context-sensitive.
Posted by oldnewthing | 21 Comments
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Tuesday, June 28, 2005 7:00 AM

Drink at work: The blog of a cartoonist

Sure, the stories on writing a cartoon are fun, but that's not the best part.
Posted by oldnewthing | 10 Comments
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Tuesday, June 28, 2005 7:00 AM

Why do Microsoft code samples tend to use ZeroMemory instead of { 0 }?

To make it clearer for people who are used to other programming languages.
Posted by oldnewthing | 24 Comments
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Monday, June 27, 2005 7:00 AM

Why are there broadcast-based mechanisms in Windows?

They weren't susceptible to hung windows back in the old days.
Posted by oldnewthing | 22 Comments
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Friday, June 24, 2005 7:00 AM

Why can't I get the pixels of a window that isn't visible on screen?

Because they don't exist.
Posted by oldnewthing | 30 Comments
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Thursday, June 23, 2005 7:00 AM

Why does the CreateProcess function do autocorrection?

Pragmatism over purity.
Posted by oldnewthing | 64 Comments
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Wednesday, June 22, 2005 7:00 AM

I'll see (some of) you in Los Angeles in September

Preparing a talk for this year's PDC.
Posted by oldnewthing | 49 Comments
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Wednesday, June 22, 2005 7:00 AM

Why does the Run dialog autocorrect but not the Run key?

One is a programmatic interface and the other is an end-user control.
Posted by oldnewthing | 3 Comments
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Tuesday, June 21, 2005 7:00 AM

Google is the cute two-year-old girl with curly blond hair that gets all the attention

Aww, she's so cute and adorable.
Posted by oldnewthing | 85 Comments
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Tuesday, June 21, 2005 7:00 AM

The Date/Time control panel is not a calendar

You really didn't want to use it to browse the calendar, really.
Posted by oldnewthing | 85 Comments
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Monday, June 20, 2005 7:00 AM

Perhaps this is what airport security is worried about

The case of the exploding knitting needle.
Posted by oldnewthing | 12 Comments
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Monday, June 20, 2005 7:00 AM

What's the difference between autocomplete and dropdown history?

One shows things that might be, the other shows things that were.
Posted by oldnewthing | 5 Comments
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Friday, June 17, 2005 9:18 AM

Is there ever such a thing as a good letter from the IRS?

You've got some splainin' to do, Lucy.
Posted by oldnewthing | 22 Comments
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Friday, June 17, 2005 9:18 AM

Why do NTFS and Explorer disagree on filename sorting?

Because they have different goals.
Posted by oldnewthing | 11 Comments
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Thursday, June 16, 2005 6:51 AM

What is the difference between "Unpin from Start menu" and "Remove from this list"?

There are two lists in one, and the two operations operate on different lists.
Posted by oldnewthing | 34 Comments
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Wednesday, June 15, 2005 7:00 AM

Displaying the dictionary, part 3: Using an owner-data listview

Owner-data listviews let you take over data management from the listview.
Posted by oldnewthing | 26 Comments
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Tuesday, June 14, 2005 7:00 AM

Displaying the dictionary, part 2: Using text callbacks

Text callbacks let you delay setting data into the listview.
Posted by oldnewthing | 12 Comments
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Monday, June 13, 2005 7:00 AM

Seattle International Juggling Festival 2005

People throwing things more things into the air than they have hands for.
Posted by oldnewthing | 6 Comments
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Monday, June 13, 2005 7:00 AM

Displaying the dictionary, part 1: Naive version

Filling a listview with tens of thousands of items.
Posted by oldnewthing | 14 Comments
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Friday, June 10, 2005 7:00 AM

Maintaining high standards at the International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition

Some prizes have not been awarded for decades.
Posted by oldnewthing | 12 Comments
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Friday, June 10, 2005 7:00 AM

Why does Explorer eject the CD after you finish burning it?

Partly as a convenience, but partly to work around buggy hardware.
Posted by oldnewthing | 44 Comments
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Thursday, June 09, 2005 7:00 AM

Why can't the default drag/drop behavior be changed?

It would create inconsistency with other programs.
Posted by oldnewthing | 44 Comments
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Wednesday, June 08, 2005 7:00 AM

Can you trust the Man on the Street interview?

Who knows who that person really is?
Posted by oldnewthing | 13 Comments
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Wednesday, June 08, 2005 7:00 AM

Why don't control panel programs and property sheets show up in the taskbar?

Because they aren't applications.
Posted by oldnewthing | 50 Comments
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Tuesday, June 07, 2005 9:06 AM

Answer to quick puzzle about security and synchronization

Watch your access masks.
Posted by oldnewthing | 5 Comments
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Tuesday, June 07, 2005 7:00 AM

What if two programs did this?

Another thought experiment when thinking through a feature.
Posted by oldnewthing | 54 Comments
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Monday, June 06, 2005 7:00 AM

Adam Felber teaches us how to avoid setting off motion detectors

You need gloves, a plywood board, and a hat.
Posted by oldnewthing | 15 Comments
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Monday, June 06, 2005 7:00 AM

A quick puzzle about security and synchronization

Named objects, handles, security, and synchronization.
Posted by oldnewthing | 14 Comments
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Friday, June 03, 2005 7:00 AM

Why does Windows XP SP2 sometimes forget my CD autoplay settings?

It didn't forget them; it's just double-checking with you.
Posted by oldnewthing | 34 Comments
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Thursday, June 02, 2005 7:00 AM

The 2005 Seattle Chicken Tour

For those who wish to raise chickens in the city.
Posted by oldnewthing | 4 Comments
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Thursday, June 02, 2005 7:00 AM

If strncpy is so dangerous, why does Visual Studio 2005 still support it?

Because the standard requires it.
Posted by oldnewthing | 45 Comments
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Wednesday, June 01, 2005 7:00 AM

Why don't you ever see a rat vomiting?

Because they can't.
Posted by oldnewthing | 10 Comments
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Wednesday, June 01, 2005 7:00 AM

Using /LARGEADDRESSAWARE on 64-bit Windows for 32-bit programs

Now you get a whopping 4GB of address space.
Posted by oldnewthing | 11 Comments
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