Difference between developing for regular Windows & PocketPC2002?

[TomP]

I'm a windows programmer (used to do VB, now doing VC++), and have decided to buy a pocket pc, looks like it'll be a Dell Axim X5. Anyway, I wonder how different it is programming for the pocket pc as opposed to a normal computer? Are all the same routines supported? Or will I be learning a complete new language?

I noticed the SDK comes with an eMbedded Visual Basic and Visual C++... what does eMbedded mean? Do these compile the same way (into DLL's and EXE's)? If so, it'd seem like I could take an existing program of mine and just recompile it into one of these eMbedded langauges, and it'd work on the pocket pc. Or am I way off base here?

[TomP]

Oh, one other thing, this SDK... my laptop runs Windows XP Pro, my desktop runs Windows 2000 Pro. Both have Visual Studio 6.0 installed on them. I tried poking thru pocketpc.com but can't find much... are there any issues with running the Pocket PC 2002 SDK and Visual 6.0 at the same time, or under Win2k/XP?

Thanks!

[schang]

Hi,

If you know VB and VC++ already, you are in a good position.

Embedded Visual Studio/PocketPC SDK allows you to program with EmbeddedVB and EmbeddedVC++, which are supposed to be "subsets" of the VB and VC++ languages.

EVB uses forms designing, similar to VB in Visual Studio, but doesn't actually use VB per-se but VBScript (as in what is used in ASP pages). EVC++ is similar to VC++. Both of them are considered subsets...all the WinAPI is there to call but not all of it is implemented and available to actually work. But if you are a Windows programmer already, you will find it intuitive.

Recompiling Win32 apps in Emb. Vis. Studio will not work. Some code may be easily portable, but unlikely in EVB where you are using a totally new VBScript vs VB.

You will not have any problems installing both on the same machine. I have them as well as Visual Studio.NET on the same machine. Sluggishness is a different issue though. :)

Also, if you are already on the .NET track, you might want to consider writing PocketPC apps using .NET. Their Compact Framework is coming/just came out and will allow you to easily run .NET assemblies written for regular PC's (well theoretically).