Thread: Why Visual C++ .net?

  1. #1
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    Why Visual C++ .net?

    I didn't like MSVC6 because it wasn't up to standards. Now, I hear MSVC7 is better with standards. I'm not a big fan of Dev-c++ 5, it's very glitchy - and Dev-c++4 is very old. Everyone recommends MSVC7 over Borland and DevC, why?
    Here is what I'm going to be using it for:
    Win32 Applications (API)
    OpenGL Games
    DirectX Games

    There isn't anyway I can try before I buy, so I want to ask you guys opinions first. I really stay away from MS software, but everyone says this is the best. Is it worth spending $55 on? Why?

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    Also.. any difference between pro, enterprise, and 2003?

  3. #3
    Skunkmeister Stoned_Coder's Avatar
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    visual studio.net is a good compiler. Not perfect but 500% better than msvc6. 2003 is the latest incarnation and the best compiler of the lot being very close to standard conformicy. The standard edition is ok for learning but shouldn't be used for production code as it is totally nonoptimising. The professional version throws in the fully optimising compiler and also a code profiler. This version is fine for production code. Enterprise etc. are aimed at medium to large teams of programmers and incorporate sourcesafe and other goodies. Since .net m$ have also offered an academic edition which im told is exactly the same as the pro edition but only costs about £100 instead of £600. If your in the market for a new compiler and go with m$ then get the 2003 edition (aca,stan or pro).
    Free the weed!! Class B to class C is not good enough!!
    And the FAQ is here :- http://faq.cprogramming.com/cgi-bin/smartfaq.cgi

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    Yes, the latest version of Visual C++ .NET 2003 is a very good C++ compiler. According to Microsoft, it is 98% C++ compliant.

    Kuphryn

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    You can just get the .NET SDK with *all* the compilers via command line for *free*:
    http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

    But what makes .NET so cool, along with the framework, is its awesome IDE. Thats what you basically pay for because its just that cool.

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    I'm not intrested in a compiler really, I want a IDE. I don't apply for the MSVC Academic - Would a MSVC++7 Standard 2003 be okay? Or should I spend a couple more dollars for pro? I'm learning now - nothing professional - but I'm going to be keeping it and eventually use it for professional apps (if I like it enough over DevC).

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    If your going to be using it later for professional apps, then I'd certainly recommend the professional version, if only for the optimiser and profiler.

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    Is it not $500 usd more?

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    Lightbulb

    Or... I could use VC7 for creating my project - and when releasing it, use another compiler. GCC maybe? That would save me about $500 (usd). I'm not big on supporting microsoft . So is there anything wrong with...

    Buying MSVC7
    Use MSVC7 for developing project, and use it for beta releases ect
    When ready to release for optimization, use GCC or another free compiler with a lot of optimization features.

    How does that sound? What would you do, if you only had $100 or so?

  10. #10
    Registered User Codeplug's Avatar
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    You could do that, but then you'd be limitting yourself to only code that is compatible with both gcc and msvc.
    If you're only interested in a nice editor/IDE, there are several alternatives that don't cost anything and will integrate with any compiler.

    Originally posted by Speedy5
    You can just get the .NET SDK with *all* the compilers via command line for *free*
    That only comes with a managed C++ compiler, which isn't much use as a gcc or Borland alternative.

    gg

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    Originally posted by Codeplug
    [B]You could do that, but then you'd be limitting yourself to only code that is compatible with both gcc and msvc.
    If you're only interested in a nice editor/IDE, there are several alternatives that don't cost anything and will integrate with any compiler.
    What are some of those alternatives? I've tried Dev-c++, it's supposed to be the top of the pack. The old version is old. The new version is very buggy, and it lacks a resource editor - which I need!

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    What would you do, if you only had $100 or so?
    Then I'd go with Speedy5's idea and spend the $100 on something else.

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    The command line MS compilers are nonoptimizing. I would spend $50 on MSVC7 for the IDE. I'd rather use the GCC compiler. I think that it wouldn't be a bad idea to use the MSVC7 IDE to create my projects, and the GCC compiler to compile them.

    Also - Is there someway I can use another compiler with the VC IDE? Ie: DevC++ can work with GCC, and a few other ones. Maybe I could use the Intel compiler? I know that would limit me to code that would only work with GCC and MSVC, but they are both pretty close to ANSI and ISO standards, so I would only have to make a few minor adjustments, right? If I can't use another compiler integrated with MSVC, then I can just use Dev-C++ to compile my project. What do you think of that?

    Or... Another option would be to continue to use Dev-C++ 5, and hope that it gets more stable - and use the LCC Resource editor, or the other one someone mentioned. What would you guys do? Is MSVC7 really THAT much better?

  14. #14
    S Sang-drax's Avatar
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    Originally posted by punkrockguy318
    The new version is very buggy, and it lacks a resource editor - which I need!
    This is a quote from the feature list of Dev C++ 5 (I've never tried it though):
    Edit and compile Resource files
    Last edited by Sang-drax : Tomorrow at 02:21 AM. Reason: Time travelling

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    Yes, but there isn't anything that generates it. You have to make it from scratch. That's a pain for dialogs

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