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I know this question is too basic but i am sorry that i am bring it up again. Which Compiler should i use??
I am using a Windows Xp SP2. Which is a good complier for me to start off with??? I already have Borland Command Line 5.5 and Dev C++. But a code that works in Borland CL does not work in Dev C++ and vice versa. Why is it like that???? Is there no standard in C++???
Pls advice me. I am a total newbie who wants to be a C++ programmer.
Probably the compiler that comes with Dev-C++, which should be the MinGW port of GCC 3.4.xQuote:
Which is a good complier for me to start off with??? I already have Borland Command Line 5.5 and Dev C++.
Of course, that's assuming you download Dev-C++ 4.9.9.x
You can also consider the compiler that comes with Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express, which is currently a free download.
When will we have a C++ standard?Quote:
Is there no standard in C++?
Chances are you are not writing standards compliant code, or you use non-portable libraries.
Borland is old compared to Dev-c++, I experienced that too....
Note that the standard was finished relatively recently, and C++ as a language is much older than its standard, which is why there is a lot of code that is pre-standard and a lot of compilers, books, tutorials, etc that don't conform to the standard. Also note that while C++ is standardized, there is no standard library support for many common things like graphics, guis, threads, etc. Instead, users must rely on third-party libraries (or their own) which may or may not be based on portable code.
If you want to know what is standard, a couple of good references are:
CPPreference.com
Dinkumware.com
If the header or function is not there, its not compliant. (Of course, if a custom function is defined within the code itself, it is still compliant.)
There is a lot you can do with standard C++, and you could easily spend two semesters of college learning standard C++. In fact, most good C++ classes and books start-out with standard C++. But, your programs wouldn't "look cool" without graphics or a mouse. That's one of the downsides to C++. You have to learn quite a bit before you can make programs that will impress your friends. :(
Most compilers try to be compliant. They will compile most compliant code. Most of the time, the problem is the code, not the compiler!
But, here's the thing... most compilers (including very-compliant compilers) include lots of extra headers (graphics & stuff) that's above and beyond the standard. And, most real-world programs have non-compliant code. That's why you don't see all programs available for the PC, MAC, Linux, and everything else.... It's a lot of work to "port" programs to another computer.
There are Windows API functions that you can use in any Windows compiler. These are Windows C++ standard, but not ANSI/ISO standard. So, you can take an example out of Petzold's Programming Windows book and compile it on Borland, Microsoft, or Dev-C++, enen though it contains almost no ANSI/ISO standard C++.
I like Code::Blocks, it's clean and powerful.
The important thing is the code, not the compiler. Your code should compile on any compiler. If it breaks a standards-compliant compiler, chances are your code is not standards-compliant, or uses bad programming style which doesn't happen to compile.
If you're a total newbie, I suggest you go read up a good C++ tutorial like this or this, it'll help get you started. Then you can move on to bigger things.
Code that conforms to standards should work on pretty much all compilers. Show me some example code that doesn't compile in Borland or Dev-C++.Quote:
Originally Posted by sreenadh