Which free C++ compiler?

[ibanezfoo]

Someday you'll learn a real programming language like straight C...


;-)

Pffft. C.... My initial entry into programming was assembler...

[ibanezfoo]

The problem is a lot of IDE's are like photoshop. They are very powerful but a bear to do simple things when starting out. You spend more time fighting your IDE than learning how to program. Both are good skills to master but doing it at the same time is a bit overwhelming.

I agree with this. The same reason I still do my web programming (or any programming really) in vi or notepad instead of something like Dreamweaver. I really don't like these massive programs or anything that tries to "help me out". I'm sure they are great once you learn them but I don't have that kind of desire let alone the time. My friend that works at Boeing says they won't even let you use anything like that, at least the division that he works. Its all vi.

[vikingm03]

cygwin for me. It is a linux terminal simulator for windows, and it comes with a lot of linux like binaries (programs) that you can use, particularly it has some compilers. To use, download the installer, and when you get to the part where it asks you what packages to include, make sure to search for and find the gcc compiler and add it (not included by default). Optional: Once it is installed, there should be a "bin" folder in it's install directory. Add this folder's path to the windows "Path" environment variable, so that you can call these programs from the command prompt. Also, I believe this is needed for eclipse to be able to compile c++ as it just tries a bunch of known compilers from a command line?

Feel free to send me a PM if you need help! Good luck =)

[Bryansix]

I like Eclipse although I'm no expert. Its what I used in College. Programers I have worked with used Visual Studio.

[glockman19]

Someday you'll learn a real programming language like straight C...


;-)

Ha Ha...My first programming languages were...First generation, (machine language)...1-0. then second gen languages like, Basic, Fortran, Cobalt and Pascal.

Real computer Programming is in 1's and 0's.

[WolfInSheeple'sClothing]

I learned on Bloodshed's Dev-C++. I can't really compare it to anything though as it's all I use. I used it for my programming classes at Cal Poly Pomona and when I transferred to Humboldt I found that it was the compiler installed in all of the computer labs. I've only really used it for some intermediate physics applications. Knowing C or C++ will be a big hand up in micro controlling if you ever go down that route. Arduino's base language is C.

This all just reminded me that I actually have a program I need to be writing! So on that note, I'm out.

Oh, and I'd look into a better programming book. I have a fairly good one, but can't remember the name off the top of my head. If you want I can go dig it out of my "lab" (garage) later.

[JarenC81]

As a professional coder and one who codes in C++ daily, MS Visual Studio is the way to go. Using an IDE isn't the same thing as using a library, i don't know why people are bringing up MFC and C#. Plenty of people write cross platform code in c++ using Visual Studio. People who use notepad don't code anything serious. You want to use the right tool for the right job, a full featured fast IDE for developing software, a light weight syntax highlighting editor (vi, sublime text) for modifying config files and quick scripting, notepad for jotting down notes.

[ibanezfoo]

As a professional coder and one who codes in C++ daily, MS Visual Studio is the way to go. Using an IDE isn't the same thing as using a library, i don't know why people are bringing up MFC and C#. Plenty of people write cross platform code in c++ using Visual Studio. People who use notepad don't code anything serious. You want to use the right tool for the right job, a full featured fast IDE for developing software, a light weight syntax highlighting editor (vi, sublime text) for modifying config files and quick scripting, notepad for jotting down notes.

Ok I'll let my buddy at Boeing know he's not a real coder because he doesn't use MS Visual Studio...

[bwiese]

Pffft. C.... My initial entry into programming was assembler...

Yeah, did a lotta 6502 in the 80s.

Did a lotta microcontroller hacking/disassembly/reverse engineering in 1990s for automotive engine control ECU stuff.

[JarenC81]

Ok I'll let my buddy at Boeing know he's not a real coder because he doesn't use MS Visual Studio...

Well done there champ. Feel free to actually read my post next time. If Boeing has their devs coding in notepad, they have bigger problems.

[ibanezfoo]

Well done there champ. Feel free to actually read my post next time. If Boeing has their devs coding in notepad, they have bigger problems.

They actually use vi, at least in the communication satellite division where he works ... But then what do they know anyway? I mean, all those satellites and airplanes and crap... its pretty much rookie stuff.

[Coded-Dude]

VI is where its at....IMHO.

[JarenC81]

They actually use vi, at least in the communication satellite division where he works ... But then what do they know anyway? I mean, all those satellites and airplanes and crap... its pretty much rookie stuff.

Oh boy. Alright, i guess it's time to describe the difference between an IDE and a simple text editor. IDE is an integrated development environment, means that it will generally do most if not all of the following things in one software package: Debugging, compiling and build automation. A text editor is just that, a text editor. It is nearly impossible to write any substantive code in notepad plain and simple. You cannot debug from notepad, you cannot handle build requirements in notepad and writing anything longer than 10 lines of code in notepad sucks not to mention highly error prone. Vi suffers from many of the same ailments though many people try and build plugins just to get debugging to barely work. Vi does not offer build automation, so you have to handle all of your third party libraries by hand. So while I understand that Boeing is a huge software powerhouse, using vi for anything more than scripting is a mistake and cuts down on productivity. Let me guess, they use excel to track bugs and dropbox for code versioning?

Again, i'll reiterate my original post. You have to use the right tool for the right job, A nice full-featured fast IDE for software development, vi/emacs/sublime for small jobs, scripting or configuring and notepad for jotting down notes.

While I enjoy discussing the finer points of software development tools, i'm not interested in the "but... but... but... Boeing dude!" arguments. So I will leave you with this:

For the guitar playing programming magician who knows how to set breakpoints in notepad: http://xkcd.com/378/ you win and are super leet.

For the OP, my recommendation is Visual Studio, express is free and will get you up and running very quickly. There is no MFC, WinAPI or C# business unless you want it.

[Coded-Dude]

wait...did you just refer to VI as a "simple" text editor?



btw - agree with your assessment, for the most part.

[elSquid]

For the guitar playing programming magician who knows how to set breakpoints in notepad: http://xkcd.com/378/ you win and are super leet.

Why do you need to set breakpoints? One word: "printf."



-- Michael