Book excerpt: The popularity of serial communications demands that additional serial port interfaces be developed to meet the expanding requirements of users. The Windows Serial Port Programming Handbook illustrates the principles and methods of developing various serial port interfaces using multiple languages. This comprehensive, hands-on, and practical guide to serial interface programming enables you to develop sophisticated interfaces and apply them in real-world applications. Each chapter addresses a language and how it can be applied in the development of serial port interfaces. The seven languages discussed are: ANSI C Visual C++ Visual Basic LabVIEW MATLAB Smalltalk Java Step by step and line by line, the Handbook clearly explains the interfacing techniques used for each different language in the serial port communication. Examples from actual systems have been compiled and debugged, with detailed source code for each included on an accompanying CD-ROM.