Book excerpt: Thoroughly revised and updated with new material on the 32-bit windows platform, this comprehensive guide delivers everything you need to write robust applications for embedded, data logging, point-of-sale, and other communications systems. You2ll get a complete introduction to serial communications basics, tips on getting the most out of Windows APIs, methods for maximizing data exchange rates over high-speed modems, and the latest techniques for object-oriented programming. Featuring a CD-ROM packed with ready-to-run code modules, this is the one guide you need for successful serial communications development.