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Free C++ Compiler and IDE solutions?
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 6:39 pm
by Kale
I'm thinking of getting back into a bit of C++ coding again and wonder if any here use C++ on a regular basis, what IDE/Compiler do you use? If possible i'm looking for a free solution. What are your experiences and what do you recommend? Do i really need to shell out for MSVC++? I've recently been checking out PellesC but i really want to use C++ rather than just C (might as well go the whole hog!

).
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 6:51 pm
by tinman
DevC++ (based on GCC 3.2) and it's free.
http://www.bloodshed.net
Pretty good IDE (i.e. behaves like a Windows program, with things where you'd expect unlike the last version of lcc I used) with integrated debugger and stuff like code completion, although there still seem to be minor issues with that. Hassle free setup. Regular updates. Useful if you don't want full blown thing like C++ Builder.
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 7:33 pm
by freak
You might want to have a look here for a list:
http://www.thefreecountry.com/compilers/cpp.shtml
I can't tell you much though. I only used some c++ commandline compilers,
to compile some sources from the net, never to develop with them.
Timo
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 8:11 pm
by Saboteur
In Linux, I use gcc + kdevelop.
In Windows, DevC++.
Some times, I look for another free compiler, (or any surprise

), but DevC++ is the best I found.
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 10:49 pm
by fsw
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 12:54 am
by GeoTrail
Cool, thanks for the link fsw.
I was looking for something other than eVC++

..
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 2:39 am
by NoahPhense
tinman wrote:DevC++ (based on GCC 3.2) and it's free.
http://www.bloodshed.net
Pretty good IDE (i.e. behaves like a Windows program, with things where you'd expect unlike the last version of lcc I used) with integrated debugger and stuff like code completion, although there still seem to be minor issues with that. Hassle free setup. Regular updates. Useful if you don't want full blown thing like C++ Builder.
[statement retracted]
- np
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:00 am
by kns
omg that is sweet... kicks PellesC in the as$ ..
That's somewhat unfair. GCC has a very long development history (20ish years) as does DevC++. Pellesc is a relatively recent project based on LCC (not lcc-win) and is being developed by one individual. It, like GCC and the DevC++ IDE, is free.
GCC represents a full development chain with many tools and compilers.
LCC is a C compiler.
..
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:24 am
by NoahPhense
kns wrote:omg that is sweet... kicks PellesC in the as$ ..
That's somewhat unfair. GCC has a very long development history (20ish years) as does DevC++. Pellesc is a relatively recent project based on LCC (not lcc-win) and is being developed by one individual. It, like GCC and the DevC++ IDE, is free.
GCC represents a full development chain with many tools and compilers.
LCC is a C compiler.
Completely Valid.. forgot about the backend .. ok reinstalling
PellesC
- np
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 5:36 am
by koehler
I've heard from some of the devs at work that GCC is just plain half-done compared to MSVC or Metrowerks. While not up on MSVC, ~$50 for an educational version seems decent enough. You can probably find a used copy from someone on campus.
Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2004 6:57 am
by kns
I've heard from some of the devs at work that GCC is just plain half-done compared to MSVC or Metrowerks.
Are they talking about the compilerS or the IDE? I suspect the latter.
The GCC tool chain continues to evolve and has been doing so for years. It's ported to most major and not so major operating systems. I believe it may the heart of Apple's Developer Tools (from their site). And, near as I can tell a large percentage of major research tools are developed or ported to GCC, not to mention the various OSes that are available in source form.
I don't understand what half-done means other than there is no standard IDE with all the bells and whistles.
See the timeline at,
http://gcc.gnu.org/releases.html#timeline
This is the opening paragraph from the GCC site,
"GCC is the GNU Compiler Collection, which currently contains front ends for C, C++, Objective-C, Fortran, Java, and Ada, as well as libraries for these languages (libstdc++, libgcj,...). Further frontends are available."
There is a lot there that is being developed and maintained for a wide audience.
Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2004 9:33 am
by blueznl
anybody have any comments on digital mars?
Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2004 7:36 pm
by kns
Can't say anything about Digital Mars... but there is also Open Watcom. This too is a mature compiler based on the commercial code from the Watcom series of compilers. See openwatcom.org.
Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2004 11:16 pm
by Saboteur
Watcom was the best compiler any time ago. Is still as good as before?
I never liked it because its assembler style, but the C code was very very good.
Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2004 12:09 am
by Kale
Decided on Bloodshed's DevC++, it looks pretty cool! I must admit PellesC looks pretty awesome too. I sometimes find it hard to believe these very nice people provide these tools for free! 8O