This article presents the algorithm that solves the Byzantine General’s Problem, as first described by Lamport, Pease, and Shostak in 1982 [1]. While Lamport’s algorithm is not particularly complex, programmers who aren’t used to working on distributed computation might find it difficult to implement. To accompany the explanation of the algorithm, I have included a C++ program designed for experimentation with the solution.

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This article shows how to embed Microsoft’s Windows Media Player in an ATL-based C++ program to create an MP3 player that adapts to your personal preferences. I use it to run a home jukebox that creates random playlists based on your personal preferences.

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Star-encoding is a transform that can be applied to text before compression, giving significant improvement in performance. This article discusses how Star-encoding works, and provides you with working code to create dictionaries, compress, and uncompress data using Star Encoding.

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Rendering GIFs with transparency under Win32. It’s gotten a bit easier since I first wrote about it for DDJ in 1998. This article shows a couple of ways to implement transparent GIF rendering: the IPicture interface, and GDI+.

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An article that takes a look at Intel’s free JPEG Library for Win32, and compares it to doing things the Microsoft Way.

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PC Magazine July, 2002

Remember when PC Magazine used to give away their utilities for free? Ah yes, those where the days. The earliest PC Magazine utilities were distributed as PC-BASIC programs printed up in the Utilities section, which made good typing accuracy an important skill. Eventually this was supplanted by electronic distribution via BBS and […]

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This article describes a Java program I wrote to scan through a URL database, flagging sites that have shut down, moved, or simply can’t be reached.

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A quick look at the STL function next_permutation(), with a practical example that demonstrates how I used it to solve a real-world problem.

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This article shows how to use Microsoft’s XML parser to validate XML against schemas.

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This article presents a class that attaches a C++ std::iostream object to a Win32 console window. The window can be enabled or disabled at will, and provides an excellent vehicle for dumping debug output. Now that the C++ iostreams specification is standardized, this class should work properly with all future versions of Win32 compilers.

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