--- title: "I Once Appeared in The Old New Thing" url: https://daily.dev/posts/i-once-appeared-in-the-old-new-thing-dxs5gpfs9 source_url: https://mtlynch.io/my-old-new-thing-cameo/ type: article source: "Michael Lynch" published: 2025-09-15T15:49:28.074Z updated: 2026-03-15T03:44:09.526Z tags: ["build-systems", "c++", "microsoft", "windows"] reading_time: 6 upvotes: 5 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # I Once Appeared in The Old New Thing **[Michael Lynch](https://daily.dev/sources/mtlynch)** · 6 min read · 5 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A developer shares a personal story about getting advice from Raymond Chen (author of The Old New Thing blog) while working on BitLocker at Microsoft. The challenge involved improving error messages by referencing C++ constants in message files, which Chen solved using the C preprocessor. Despite receiving expert guidance, the author chose not to implement the solution due to fear of breaking the complex Windows build system. The story reflects on the complexity of enterprise development environments and the trade-offs developers make when facing unfamiliar tooling. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Confessions of a Software Developer: No More Self-Censorship](https://daily.dev/posts/confessions-of-a-software-developer-no-more-self-censorship-bqkknipoj) · Hacker News · 4 upvotes · 0 comments - [Crowbarring Windows 95 into Windows NT with CAPITALS](https://daily.dev/posts/crowbarring-windows-95-into-windows-nt-with-capitals-0oxmlqnpx) · The Register · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Reject Modernity, Return To 80s, Learn C.](https://daily.dev/posts/reject-modernity-return-to-80s-learn-c--isjpcqmcw) · Hackaday · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#build-systems](https://daily.dev/tags/build-systems), [#c++](https://daily.dev/tags/c++), [#microsoft](https://daily.dev/tags/microsoft), [#windows](https://daily.dev/tags/windows) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/i-once-appeared-in-the-old-new-thing-dxs5gpfs9)