Before you buy

Before you buy, please make sure Cockpit is what you need. If you only have a specific job for Cockpit (e.g. COM server, custom Xbase Part, MAPI, structures, etc.) in your environment and Cockpit supplies exactly what you need, just go ahead. We'll help you if you should run into trouble. If you're not sure, please contact us.

If you intend to use the full range of Cockpit services, you must have profound knowledge of the O/S or you must be willing to attain it. You can get that knowledge by reading the Windows "standards", e.g. Petzold's book. Cockpit can help you along the way with its numerous samples, but solely Cockpit won't turn you into a Windows programming expert. You should be familiar with MSDN, you should have a basic understanding of C data types and understand what structures are all about. If you want to use Cockpit's native COM functionality, you need basic knowledge of how COM works.

We can provide help regarding Cockpit and we are able to help you with many problems you'll encounter using the Windows API, but for in-depth information on Windows behavior (or odd effects that you will definitely encounter...) you will most likely have to consult the Microsoft newsgroups, contact Microsoft or use the other information resources available on the web.

This information isn't supposed to scare you away, it's just a reminder that you'll enter another world once you start using Cockpit to its full extent.