Note: I wasn't asking for them, just passing along some relevent information that might help the original poster.

However, I think the answer to your question is cross-systems compatability. I agree that the Win32 event model is very powerful and useful, but it only works on Win32.

The unix style signals are implemented pretty much everywhere else, and whilst (IMHO) the are less powerful, they are a) ubiquitous. b) there are many, many algorithms and a wide codebase of applications that use them to good effect. So, unless and until the Unix world adopts the Win32 event model, (and hell will freeze over before they do:), having signals available on Win32 is the pragmatic solution to portability for cross-platform event driven programming.

It seems however that as with many of the cross-compatibility features implemented in Win32, it is little more than bullet-point programming. Which is to say, it was only included, and only barely implemented in order that it could be listed on presentation slides when MS salesfolk where trying to sell it into large corporate accounts.

Yes, of course we can take your existing legacy applications and run them on our platform. Look here at this slide showing all the compatibility points.

{Chairmen of the board ticks box on a 7 line distillation of the 20,000 line report authored by the IT department as to why moving to Win32 would be a major headache>}