Next steps

This chapter looked at the difference between low-level and high-level APIs. We dove into the foundations of .NET by examining the BCL and CLR. Then, we examined how to call into low-level APIs such as the Win32 API. We did that by reimplementing the ubiquitous Console.WriteLine into code that the Windows operating system can run without using the BCL. That led us to discuss error discovery and error handling, and how to best go about them.

We also discussed the issues you might encounter when you start doing that sort of coding. We mentioned the differences in type systems and the issues you might have when dealing with debuggers.

I hope this chapter has made you appreciate the .NET Framework and the hard work the BCL and CLR do for you as a developer. But I also hope you realize the power you get when using the Win32 API or other third-party libraries written in C or C++.

System programming relies heavily on these techniques. Although using these APIs ties you...