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Hello,
I had some experience of C++ in my college days and we were using the Visual Studio Suite for programming and compiling.
And now, at my workplace, we are looking into purchasing some kind of C++ programming software. Just wondering what would you recommend? MS Visual Studio / Borland C++ Builder?
Many Thanks.
Cyan
Did you try the free ones? Like Dev-C++? :)
Free software is great for personal use, but managers like to know that there's someone they can call for tech support when needed.
As far as tech support goes I would rather have a contract from Cygnus than simply a professional edition of a proprietary compiler. That said, gcc is and likely always will be, primarily optimized to compile gcc. I would have a cygnus and MSYS tool-chain available, I would also use cvs, or require that whatever I am using for source management to speak cvs somehow. Checking to see how hard it would be to shift to gcc is a really good way to have an idea of how maintainable your project is, and how locked in to your tools you are. On everything other than portability, gcc tends to be very strongly mediocre.
Builder is the easiest to get visual form-based programming up and running. I have always liked Borland stuff. I have never used cvs with Builder, and this would be by far the hardest to keep to my advice earlier of at least keeping an eye on an alternate tool-chain, but would probably be my first choice.
The newer (since Herb Stutter was hired) VC++ are excellent, and I am very much an anti-Microsoft kind of guy. Very standards-friendly, good solid compiler. Everybody uses it, you won't have any disadvantages, but you won't have any advantages either.
I also highly recommend vtune, at least as of few years ago it was(is) a very useful tool. For some strange reason, it won't help you optimize AMD processors very well. Nevertheless, it is otherwise an outstanding profiler and analyzer that tends to have a point when it complains, rather than just being annoying.
The Intel compilers are also good, though I have heard complaints about VS integration, this was also a number of years ago.
PS When did the forum get a censorship filter? We cannot use an adjective related to a female dog to describe having an excessive number of complaints about matters of questionable significance?
As long as I've been here the dirty words were all asterisked out.
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edit: Whoops. One got through :eek:
From a career perspective, it would be good to have experience with MS and Borland. The more compilers you've used, the more opportunities you'll find. Visual C++ is the most popular. Borland is quite popular too. Employers want programmers who have experience with the tools the company uses (as well as adaptability).
Unfortunately, the high-tech industry is very "dynamic"... jobs (generally) don't last... :(
If you want to make it easy on your employer, again you want to choose something popular so that you can easily find programmers who already know how to use it.