Thread: Which IDE to use for c++ programming

  1. #1
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    Which IDE to use for c++ programming

    Hi everyone,

    I'm not sure this is in the correct place but I have used code::blocks before but am trying to find a solution that will allow me to write c++, ruby, python, java (being new to all of these) and also continue my web design i.e. html5/css.

    I wanted to find ONE multi-purpose IDE to achieve the above so I can learn the software thoroughly and be able to do all my things in the one place.

    So far I have seen:

    1) Aptana 3
    2) Netbeans 7
    3) Eclipse (not sure about version)

    If anyone could help me out with choosing, it would be most appreciated. I installed eclipse and aptana but got stuck VERY early on when trying to run my simple loops program (i.e. it wouldn't run without error, may have not set up correctly!). I will put in the time though and try again.

    Two things to note:

    (i) code::blocks with mingGW (no idea what that is) was a breeze and worked out of the box on win7 64-bit but I still want to learn how to use one of the above.
    (ii) I am aware aptana is built on top of eclipse but I am also aware that there are differences

    I just wondered (a) what you guys used and also (b) what is the standard for a professional company? I can't decide myself as I don't know yet which direction my programming is taking and whether the pros/cons apply to me at this very early stage.

    I hope this makes sense and thanks in advance for any replies.

    Sam.

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    Why are you trying to limit yourself to one IDE? In my opinion there is no one IDE that is ideally suited for all languages. Sometimes it is even better to use a basic text editor and compile/run your programs from the command line.

    what is the standard for a professional company? I can't decide myself as I don't know yet which direction my programming is taking and whether the pros/cons apply to me at this very early stage.
    Again there is no one standard. Some companies may still use simple editors and (gasp) make files to compile their code. Others will use expensive dedicated development environments for their code base. Others may use any of the hundreds of available IDE/compilers available.

    Jim

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    To be honest Jim, I don't even know why I'm trying to limit myself! I thought it would be a good idea to have everything in one place.

    I'm frankly very confused with the whole IDE thing, I'm sure it will become clearer the further I get into programming and I will be in a better position to select the tools that suit the problem best.

    Thanks.

    Sam.

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    IDEs don't really matter, especially for beginners. They are just glorified text editors with a few shortcuts to make your life a little easier. Don't spend more effort looking for IDEs. Just install a few, test them for 15 minutes, close your eyes and pick one, and move on.

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    Quote Originally Posted by cyberfish View Post
    IDEs don't really matter, especially for beginners. They are just glorified text editors with a few shortcuts to make your life a little easier. Don't spend more effort looking for IDEs. Just install a few, test them for 15 minutes, close your eyes and pick one, and move on.
    I need to be able to run my code though. They all seem to have extra steps to work properly, when I say beginner, I mean at the stage when I'm writing very simple loops and password checking programs. Maybe I should stick with code::blocks at the moment as it works for me, when I improve then I will probably be in a better position.

    For my css/html I used to use dreamweaver quite a few years back but I got fed up with the 'helpful' functions of the software. I use notepad++ for most things now.

    I will follow the advice from cyberfish and quickly find something that works for me, I need to learn to code, not waste time finding the 'perfect' IDE.

    Anyway, thanks people.

    Sam.
    Last edited by samwillc; 07-07-2012 at 12:25 AM.

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    if you want to use all of the languages you mentioned, eclipse is (in my opinion) the best choice. it has support for many, many languages, debugger integration, and just about everything you could want in an IDE. netbeans can also do all of the languages you mentioned, but it's much bigger and slower (in my experience) and you'll probably not be as happy with it.

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    Well, Eclipse hides away stuff in all sorts of weird places (ever heard of Preferences under Window?) and is ugly in everything it does to boot.
    So I prefer Netbeans. It's just more organized, shows everything more clearly and is overall just prettier.
    Bottom line: do not assume things about style, IDEs or other related things. People are just different.

    いんせいなコメントはきんしです
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

    Outside of your DOS world, your header file is meaningless.

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    Thanks for the input.

    I actually had trouble setting netbeans and eclipse up to run my c++ because I'm not at the stage yet of knowing WHY I would need this and that.

    For that reason I decided to go back to (works for me) out of the box code::blocks, changed to a dark theme and am quite happy coding away at my daft simple beginners programs.

    Of course one day I will be a much better programmer but I am more than aware that you should learn to walk before running and I'm not put off with hours of basics one bit.

    Sam.

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    Quote Originally Posted by samwillc View Post
    I actually had trouble setting netbeans and eclipse up to run my c++ because I'm not at the stage yet of knowing WHY I would need this and that.
    That is why the answers to
    "
    Which IDE to use for c++ programming"
    and
    "Which IDE to use for learning c++ programming"
    generally differ.

    Continue with C::B for now.. and get to more spphisticated ones only when you see that you really need the extra features for convenience.

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    I am beginning to teach myself C, and I use Code::Blocks for Linux.

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    notepad++ (freeware, by the way) can program in ANY language. (by any, i mean like 25 or so). it doesn't have a built-in debugger or compiler (you need some third-party plug-in), but i'm just throwing it out there.

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    FYI, Notepad++ is not an IDE. It's an editor. Not a bad one, though, I might add.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

    Outside of your DOS world, your header file is meaningless.

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    Quote Originally Posted by manasij7479 View Post
    That is why the answers to
    "
    Which IDE to use for c++ programming"
    and
    "Which IDE to use for learning c++ programming"
    generally differ.
    perhaps someone should develop an IDE specifically for learning C++, and give tutorials on how to read compiler warnings/errors and how to do basic debugging. I think that would be a useful tool, and I'm kinda surprised that I haven't seen one.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Elkvis View Post
    perhaps someone should develop an IDE specifically for learning C++, and give tutorials on how to read compiler warnings/errors and how to do basic debugging. I think that would be a useful tool, and I'm kinda surprised that I haven't seen one.
    That is, in fact, one of the things I plan to do, in not so near future.
    (Well.. the purpose differs slightly..but the result will hopefully be similar.)
    I've been poking around llvm for a while...trying to grasp how it works, from the surface.

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    does LLVM run like java bytecode, or does it actually generate native machine code?

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