Direct Win32 API, Weird-Shaped Windows, and Why They Mostly Disappeared
Summary
The article criticizes modern Windows desktop apps for relying on web wrappers and advocates deep Win32 programming for greater control and memory efficiency. It explains how to create non-rectangular windows using region objects (HRGN) and SetWindowRgn, including examples that turn a window into an ellipse or derive shapes from bitmap data; it also covers layered windows for per-pixel alpha and animation, while cautioning that these approaches increase complexity and maintenance burden, which helps explain why such techniques faded from mainstream use.