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VC++ 5.0 to 6.0: Worth It for $300?
Author
I know other ppl have posted this, but this is a more specific post. I bought 5.0 for about $300 two years ago, and damn MS comes out with 6.0 about a year and a half later ! I really don''t feel like paying another $300 dollars for 6.0. What i really want to know is if MS improved 6.0 enough to make it worth another $300, or does it just have a few little things. I''ve seen both 5.0 and 6.0, and there really wasn''t much of a difference to me. Assume im paying $300, that way no one post things about discounts. I just want a way that makes 6.0 worth the extra $300. Is there a place i can download an upgrade? or anyone with connections to MS suggest they make an upgrade (wink, wink) ?
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I thought there was an upgrade, but if you say there isn''t then....
No, it''s probably not worth it - wait until Summer and Visual C++ 7.0 will come out. Then spend your hard earned cash.
Take it easy,
-Mezz
No, it''s probably not worth it - wait until Summer and Visual C++ 7.0 will come out. Then spend your hard earned cash.
Take it easy,
-Mezz
IMHO, if you don''t know what the differences are, don''t bother. The differences I know of are. . .
1. The class-browser is now its own toolbar. It seems to be much nicer than the old one, but I don''t use it.
2. Help supposedly comes up much faster. I have noticed this one.
3. Lots of bugs supposedly fixed. Again, I never noticed much trouble with 5.x, but some folks had real headaches with it.
4. Lots of fixes to the compiler to make it more standard. Basically so it''d support a more standard STL without having to make a ton of changes.
If you plan to use STL or you''ve run into a lot of bugs, it''ll probably be worth your while. If there''s a 7.0 coming out in a few months, though, it might be worth the wait.
1. The class-browser is now its own toolbar. It seems to be much nicer than the old one, but I don''t use it.
2. Help supposedly comes up much faster. I have noticed this one.
3. Lots of bugs supposedly fixed. Again, I never noticed much trouble with 5.x, but some folks had real headaches with it.
4. Lots of fixes to the compiler to make it more standard. Basically so it''d support a more standard STL without having to make a ton of changes.
If you plan to use STL or you''ve run into a lot of bugs, it''ll probably be worth your while. If there''s a 7.0 coming out in a few months, though, it might be worth the wait.
Actually you should be able to get MSVC 6 at upgrade price provided that you have a previous qualifying product. MSVC 5 should count. I think upgrade price for professional is $189. But again waiting for 7 might be a better idea, but MSVC 5 may not qualify for upgrade pricing on 7. MS can be funny that way.
Zipster, if you are a student, you should seriously consider purchasing the academic version of VC++ (exactly the same as the retail). Check out www.journeyed.com.
I upgraded to VC++ 6.0 Pro from VC++ 5.0 Pro a couple months back, and I couldn''t be happier. My single favorite feature: Intellisense. That feature alone has increased my productivity exponentially. I can use long, descriptive names for my member functions and I can type them by entering the first few letters and pressing enter. I don''t know what I would do without it
There are other reasons to upgrade too. The optimizing compiler is supposed to be better than 5''s. The edit-compile during debugging can also be useful (I don''t use this much myself). Also, if you plan on using STL you should probably upgrade. I''ve heard horror stories about VC++ 5''s STL.
I personally wouldn''t wait for VC++ 7. Mainly, because VC++ 7 isn''t coming out until summer (according to Mezz, I don''t know the release date). On top of that, there will no doubtedly be plenty of bugs (we are talking about Microsoft here) and you would probably be better off waiting until a couple of service packs come out before you get it.
If you are happy with your current compiler then I wouldn''t upgrade. I was happy with 5 until I used 6 for a while. I found it to be a big improvement over 5 and worth the price to upgrade.
Josh
http://www.jh-software.com
I upgraded to VC++ 6.0 Pro from VC++ 5.0 Pro a couple months back, and I couldn''t be happier. My single favorite feature: Intellisense. That feature alone has increased my productivity exponentially. I can use long, descriptive names for my member functions and I can type them by entering the first few letters and pressing enter. I don''t know what I would do without it
There are other reasons to upgrade too. The optimizing compiler is supposed to be better than 5''s. The edit-compile during debugging can also be useful (I don''t use this much myself). Also, if you plan on using STL you should probably upgrade. I''ve heard horror stories about VC++ 5''s STL.
I personally wouldn''t wait for VC++ 7. Mainly, because VC++ 7 isn''t coming out until summer (according to Mezz, I don''t know the release date). On top of that, there will no doubtedly be plenty of bugs (we are talking about Microsoft here) and you would probably be better off waiting until a couple of service packs come out before you get it.
If you are happy with your current compiler then I wouldn''t upgrade. I was happy with 5 until I used 6 for a while. I found it to be a big improvement over 5 and worth the price to upgrade.
Josh
http://www.jh-software.com
Author
I''m happy with five right now, its just that every single other programmer i know has 6.0 and im the amish dude with 5.0 . I guess ill stick with 5.0, im happy now, it works for my needs.
BTW, Josh, I LIKE typing in those very long function names
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. I guess ill stick with 5.0, im happy now, it works for my needs.BTW, Josh, I LIKE typing in those very long function names
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