.RobK, it is Microsoft's format. If you ever read the EULA over the format, like FAT Partition Formats you may only use the format if you agree to Microsofts' terms to use it. The terms give them no fiscal power over it, but it assures that developers that do not take measure to protect thier DLLs are giving others the free right to use thier libraries.
If for example I wanted to convert your BlueGUI DLL to another language; I'm within my right to create the link header and library or Control Class, however what I cannot do is disassemble it in order to circumvent the protection in it.
The same thing stands for The Game Creators, they could quite easily put in a protection system making sure that anyone using the DLLs that come with DBP are *ONLY* used with DBP. Wouldn't take more than a few hundred Bytes, which really considering the engine size is nothing. If they choose not to protect it though, then they're agreeing (albiet unknowingly) to allowing other to use the functions exposes as they please.
.DavidT, don't worry about the Interface System... I'll see about updating it for the Visual Languages and letting people have it who ask. The way I see it, we have a right to freely develop extensions for DarkBASIC Professional, I think that TGC should think about adding protection to the engine though.
I did actually express this when Ian first released his Interface that people could use it and download the Trial version of DBP, getting it for free in Visual C++. You would've thought protection would've been added then.
Quote: "Does VB.NET support unsafe functions (ie. using pointers)?"
Yes, it does. Creating a Class/Control interface in VB isn't hard; just timely, it would be possible to create a Control in it which also exported for COM access through .Net ... or rather .Net through COM