The flag of compilation /clr:old_syntax does not support the use of specific .NET keywords (as #using).
Therefore, using /clr would be a workaround but is incompatible with flag /rtc1.

So I need a way to call managed code in a dll B from native code in a dll A.
To do so, no C++ managed extensions (C++/CLI) must be in dll A. Otherwise, it would need to be compiled with the flag /clr.

Solution is to put a native exported function (_declspec(export)) in dll B which returns an interface to my managed class. Then in my native dll A, I would simply include the header file to the exported function from managed dll B and call it to retrieve an interface which maps to the concrete managed class in dll B.

Hope this helps someone, if not feel free to ask questions.

Read the following first...
http://www.webmonkey.com/blog/Windows_7_to_Dump_E-Mail__Photo_Editing_Software

IMO, yes it is a great decision. May be the best decision they have taken since a long time.

In fact, I would even take it further, Microsoft should not even bundle any apps in their OS. Ok, yes they should keep the basic necessary stuff like a notepad, paintbrush, control panel apps, but no windows media player, no msn messenger, no internet explorer. It's up to the user to download and install the necessary apps.

Still, they should offer a sort of automatic "Add/Remove Programs" service. Upon a fresh install it would reinstall all application automatically.
No CD or DVD necessary, everything would be downloaded from the web or locally from an external drive. Through your account on Windows Live it would know what software you have installed and which to install when re-installing Windows.

I would pay to subscribe to this kind of service.

I hate Google docs. It’s cheesy; I prefer Microsoft Office Live by far. Google is just too plain simple: text does not wrap (no margins, WTF!). Some would say that Google docs is better just because it's not Microsoft. And if it was Adobe?

They've just rolled out a new web-based documents editor. It rocks! Finally some major opponent to Microsoft. What's really cool is the UI, I love it, it looks great. Google and Microsoft has a lot to learn from Adobe. When Adobe bought Macromedia it was actually a good idea after all.

Therefore, Adobe are in a very good position to compete Microsoft and much more then Google in my opinion.