Hi all,
Just a quick question to the experts. Im currently an embedded c developer and i now want to write a few windows programs (for windows and portable devices) that i can communicate to my embedded systems via the serial port, blue toooth, and hopefully over networks. Which is the most easiest to use/ most powerfull in bit manipulation, numerical analysis and talking to hardware devices out of c++ .net and c#.net?
Cheers Tuurb046
I'd expect them to be pretty similar. C# is sort of a superset of C++, with only small amounts removed.
But a lot depends on exactly what you want to do.
--
Mats
Compilers can produce warnings - make the compiler programmers happy: Use them!
Please don't PM me for help - and no, I don't do help over instant messengers.
1) Neither C++.Net nor C#.Net exist. The former is called C++/CLI, the latter just C#.
2) C# and C++/CLI are completely distinct languages. They only share origins: C# is a C++-derivate similar to Java, whereas C++/CLI is a true superset of C++, designed to accept all plain C++ code as valid. Thus, they have similar, but not equal, syntax.
3) The best for the three topics you listed is plain C++, because it is low-level enough for talking to hardware devices and ought to be the fastest in numerical analysis and bit manipulation.
4) C# is best for high-level application programming under Windows.
5) C++/CLI is a bridge language, designed primarily to connect C++ (and other natively compiled) components to .Net languages like C#.
All the buzzt!
CornedBee
"There is not now, nor has there ever been, nor will there ever be, any programming language in which it is the least bit difficult to write bad code."
- Flon's Law
Hi,
Thanks for all your help. Just one last question, can i write c/c++ source files and link them into a c# program (i think these are called dll ?). Or is this the point you use c++/CLI?
Cheers tuurbo46
You can use C and C++ DLLs from C# via the P/Invoke facility. That requires that the functions adhere strictly to the portable DLL call interface of Windows. (STDCALL and no funny C++ stuff like references.) Also, you'll have to write a .def file to get the exported names as you'd expect them.
Frankly, it's a lot easier to just use C++/CLI for the bridge.
On the other hand, P/Invoke works under Mono too, while C++/CLI hasn't yet been implemented and will probably take a long time. (Until GCC can generate proper CLI, at the very least.)
All the buzzt!
"There is not now, nor has there ever been, nor will there ever be, any programming language in which it is the least bit difficult to write bad code."
- Flon's Law
That's usually going to require a driver, and I assume the Windows DDK (Driver Development Kit) uses C/C++. (You'll probably need a user-interface program and a driver.)...communicate to my embedded systems via the serial port, blue toooth, and hopefully over networks.
On a PC, Windows blocks user-mode programs from directly accessing the hardware, so you need a kernel mode driver. I'm not sure if this is true with Windows CE on portable devices.
You can open the serial port without using a driver, and if you are using TCP/IP, you might be able to get-by with the existing Windows TCP/IP driver stack. However, I suspect bluetooth will require you to write a driver. I don't know anything about bluetooth, but I know USB requires a custom driver, unless you are interfacing to something standardized... like a USB keyboard or USB mouse. Some devices (i.e. printers) require a driver no matter what the interface.... Just because you can open the serial port without a driver doesn't mean it should be done "the easy way".
When it comes to portable devices, your choices of language/compiler will be limited in the same way you are limited for embedded development. You have to use whatever compiler/languages are available for the particular device.for windows and portable devices
btwOriginally Posted by CornedBee
C# for non Windows -> mono
