I''m considering doing some shareware work in the near future and need some advice. Basically what it comes down to is I don''t have $900 at this time to buy a full version of Visual C++ (Professional), however I think I could manage $150 for the student version. Is the only difference the licensing? Do the two versions compile to different code? I mean how does a third party know whether or not you are allowed to charge them for the applications you''ve built. I''m assuming you can''t charge for apps built with the student version. But are there actually organizations that just go around checking out applications for illegal sales? I''m sure I could buy the student version and develop my game, then at a later date upgrade or purchase the full version to make all the licensing issues work out. Also how do you know whether the version you are using is a "student" version or not, I''ve seen a lot of supposed "full" version compilers for sale at computer shows for extremely low prices. I''ve always been a bit wary about purchasing them though.

Why don''t you just try DevC++ or another free Compiler/IDE set?

The professional and enterprise versions of MSVC produce code that is more optimized than the standard and student versions. They also have more features (include a profiler). The student version has a message box pop up at the beginning of your program trying to prevent you from distributing it (I don''t know exactly what it says, since I''ve never seen it myself).

[Resist Windows XP''s Invasive Production Activation Technology!]

First, let''s clarify something. By "student" version, do you mean "learning" or "academic"? The version with the message box that Null and Void is talking about is usually referred to as the Learning Edition and comes free with books. Besides the Learning Edition, they also have what they call Academic pricing, meaning the same exact products as Professional, Enterprise, etc. except priced less for colleges, college students, etc.

The "full" versions that you see at computer shows are typically the real thing that the reseller got ahold of through the academic pricing system. It''s not uncommon for them to post signs saying "College ID required" but never ask you for an ID.

As far as licensing goes, I didn''t read the licensing agreement, but it would make sense that you wouldn''t be able to release a product that was built with the academic pricing, but there''s nothing different about the software that prevents you from doing so. I released a freeware app a while ago when I was in college that I built with Pro purchased at the academic price.

Essentially it comes down to whether you want to pay $100 for a legitimate Standard version, or $100 for the iffy academic-priced Pro version. As Null and Void mentioned, the Pro version will get you optimizations, plus a ton of other extra features. You can read about the exact differences on Microsoft.com.

Well I''m pretty certain I can "release" an app without any problems, if it is going to be freeware. However I''ve heard that if you develop an app with an academic version of the compiler you aren''t allowed to sell it. And since shareware is my goal, I just want to make sure I don''t run into any snags along the way. As stated I could always use one of the freeware compilers if need be, but most of my previous learning etc. has been with MS VC++ 6.0 so it would be nice to stick with it. Then again maybe change can be good