Microsoft Win32 API

• Win32 is a cross platform API definition, that can be implemented on top of more than one operating system. The following operating systems implement Win32:
  • Windows 95
  • Windows NT
• Active Movie -- New VFW Successor
• Active VRML -- Time based VRML
• ActiveX -- New control architecture
• COM -- Component Object Model
• DAO -- Data Access Objects Database Interface
• DDE -- Dynamic Data Exchange
• Direct3D -- 3D Graphics Substrate
• DirectX -- Game Developers SDK
• DLL -- Dynamically Loaded Libraries
• GDI -- Graphics Device Interface
• Installable Drivers -- Audio/video drivers
• Internet Explorer -- Web browser
• Low Level MultiMedia Interface -- Multimedia API
• MCI -- Media Control Interface
• Message Handlers -- Callback functions
• MFC -- Microsoft Foundation Classes
• Microsoft Developers Studio -- Visual C++ Environment
• MIDL -- Microsoft Interface Definition Language
• ODBC -- ODBC Database Interface
• OLE -- Object Linking and Embedding
• OLE Controls -- Higher level OLE GUI stuff
• OLE Type Libraries -- Metadata interface
• Open GL -- 3D Graphics Library
• Registry -- System wide property database
• RenderMorphics -- Reality Labs 3D Graphics Library
• Shell -- Windows version of the Finder
• VFW -- Video for Windows
• Visual Basic -- Visual Basic, VBA, VBScript, etc.