Chapter 1: Introduction

We learn from failure, not from success!
— Bram Stoker's Dracula

Overview

The Microsoft Windows platform has evolved substantially over time. There have been clear ups and downs along the way, but Microsoft's platform has generally maintained a leadership position in the industry. The downs have been responsible for birthing the technologies that compose this book's table of contents. This chapter briefly discusses this inflection point and provides an overview of the architecture of technologies we discuss throughout the book. Chapter 2 begins our exploration with a look at the Common Type System, the foundation on top of which all code on the platform is built.