What language is Windows coded in?

[Tranceformers]

Sorry if I sound extremely stupid. I have no idea when it comes to programming languages!

 

[Valhalla1]

c++, straight c, and assembler I think?

 

[bigrash]

i'm not sure. but someone just mentioned to me that they use Java now. but i don't know if it's true

 

[beer]

I think Vallaha is right. I can't imagine MS using Java to even partially code an OS


slowwwwwwww

 

[beer]

Wait a second, now that I think about it, it would make perfect sense if Windows 2000 was coded entirely in java.

 

[Windogg]

LogoWriter

 

[UWDawg]

Win2K in Java!!!!!! HeHe.

 

[Bluga]

Microsoft Visual C++.

No Java. Microsoft hires C++ whiz.

 

[beer]

There is a great deal of straight C and a ton of assembler.

 

[Duckers]

what program did they use to code Visual C++?
what program did they use to code assembler?

 

[bobtist]

HTML

(I know it's not a language, I'm just amused at the thought)

 

[UnixFreak]

Actually, Its a combination of languages, Assembler for some, C and C++ for others, and yes, Java for some stuff. Though it seems wacky to use all of these, each has its strong points in each area of the OS, and M$ (tried) to take advantage of that.



EDIT: Still hoping for Windows Turbo (coded entirely in optimized Assembly language) Now I might use that...

 

[johnjohn320]

Um....isn't Java a web-development language? Like XML etc?

 

[UnixFreak]

Yes, technically it is, but It can be used to create local applications, after all, thats what it does on the web.

 

[bigrash]

haha told you so!!!!
and you guys thought i was crazy. well maybe you're right

 

[Tranceformers]

Yeah, what was C++ coded in?

 

[FrontlineWarrior]

english?

 

[luv2chill]

Windows was coded in QuickBASIC 4.0. I thought everyone knew that.

l2c

 

[Elledan]

If you're talking about the Win9x/ME OS's, then you shouldn't be too surprised when you see some traces of Basic. After all, the kernel comes from Win 3.11

NT 3.1,4.0 and 5.0 are all coded in a mixture of C, C++ and even Java.

bobtist: Windows is using HTML/XML for some control panels, I believe.

 

[Usul]

Bill said 80% Assembly and rest mainly C, in an Interview to an italian newspaper i read.

 

[tim0thy]

<< EDIT: Still hoping for Windows Turbo (coded entirely in optimized Assembly language) Now I might use that... >>



why? the c/c++ compilers are almost as fast as assembler nowadays regardles..

 

[Champo41]

Klik &amp; Play

 

[Shazam]

For God's sake.

There is nothing coded in Java in Windows. Let me repeat this: There is nothing coded in Java in Windows.

Java is still slow as hell (unless you compile Java straight into byte code, bypassing the JVM, which right now only one certain horribly out of date product does).

ALL FLAVOURS of Windows are mainly written in C, with some assembly.

 

[Noriaki]

<< what program did they use to code assembler? >>

lol I hope that was a joke...

Windows is written in C and Assembly. Maybe some C++. Maybe some of the control panel applets are java or XML though I doubt it...none of the main OS core will be.

C and C++ are defined languages, just like a natural language. At some point in time someone had to write a parser, compiler and linker for C in assembly language. But any modern C++ compiler is written in C or C++ and compiled on another compiler.

 

[Nevyn522]

Even before I worked there, I could tell you that there ain't no Java in Windows.

Windows is written in C and assembly -- all versions of Windows.

There is some non-OS code, such as the Java Virtual Machine, that comes with some Java runtime code, but even the Java Virtual Machine is written in C. (I'm sure some versions are written in C++, but certainly not Java).

Windows was programmed initially in C, and still has a decidely C-centric design. Pick up Programming Windows by Charles Petzold, and you'll see what I mean. All any of the C++ languages do is put a wrapper around the C-style callback handling that Windows is designed to use and automate some &quot;ease-of-design&quot; procedures.

About the only thing I could see MS using C++ for is some of the more recent ideas, such as COM. I am reasonably certain that the internal code for the COM runtime is in C as well, however.

As to what MS develops in... yes, Visual C++ is used. However, in most cases the compiler itself is used from the Command Line, along with other build tools. Various developers within the company use different IDEs, as they want to. A few coworkers during my internship even were using vi.

Java and Visual/QuickBasic, despite the MS bashing that goes on, are not used for speed concerns, beyond any other considerations -- and certainly Windows wouldn't be written in Java -- Windows's basic kernel design has been around far longer than Java! C and ASM are used due to widest compatibility. As is pointed out in Box's Effective COM -- if you can do call something in C and in Assembly, you can create the functionality for any language. For this reason, even DirectX provides strictly C interfaces. (take a look at the functions some time -- it is clear that if there is a &quot;class&quot; behind the functions, there's a good job done hiding it).

So, no Virginia, there is no Java in Windows.