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C++ IDE/Compiler

Started by
8 comments, last by King Mir 10 years, 7 months ago

Hello all!

I'm beginning to delve into C++, and recently ordered this book (due to arrive Wednesday, the 28th). I realize that C++11 has some of the latest and greatest features, and would definitely like to start with that as a base, unless completely recommended against.

I have access to VS2012 and 2013 (Up to and including Ultimate) through the Dreamspark program. I'm also not afraid of installing any Linux distros if that would be better suited for accessing C++11 features.

I know VS2012 doesn't support all the new features (and I don't think any compilers really do all the features, yet). When I tried googling, I couldn't find anything really mentioning VS2013's support for it that also compared to other IDEs and compiler.

I'm looking for any recommendations on how to proceed here. What do you use for your IDE/Compiler?

Thanks!

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Depending on your level of programming experience, that book might not be the best choice. If you're already comfortable with programming concepts (variables, control flow, etc) it's pretty good, but it can be a bit overwhelming for a beginner.

GCC has the most complete C++ 11 support, but visual studio ( 2012 onwards) supports a reasonable amount of features.

Here's a table comparing compiler support for each feature

if you think programming is like sex, you probably haven't done much of either.-------------- - capn_midnight

I'm actually decently proficient with C#/Java/Python, so I'm definitely comfortable with a lot of concepts.

Like I said, I'm delving into C++, not general programming.

And thanks for the advice!

There's a Community Technology Preview (CTP) available for VS2012 that has most of the C++ 11 features.

I would stick with the VS Ultimate editions as they have a lot of features especially if you can get the 2013 one as that will have some of C++11 and some of C++14.

Other decent options are CLang which has a VS plugin as well if you need it, Clang is 100% C++11 compatible and was there before GCC.

Worked on titles: CMR:DiRT2, DiRT 3, DiRT: Showdown, GRID 2, theHunter, theHunter: Primal, Mad Max, Watch Dogs: Legion

Clang actually is the only compiler with complete library and core language C++11 support. Gcc has full language support, but the standard library is incomplete. VS is missing language features, but the library is as complete as it can be in light of that.

So for C++11 the best compiler is clang. Clang doesn't work very well on windows though. minGW is Gcc for windows, but that is behind on C++11 features compared to gcc.

IDE-wise, I use eclipse, but that's mainly because it allows me to work in multiple languages conveniently. I hear code::Blocks is good too. Some configuration may be required if on any IDE if you want to change the compiler.

Getting clang or gcc working is probably prudent. That means getting some form of Linux running. A dual boot is easiest to set up, but you can also run a virtual machine or use Cygwin, a Unix emulator for windows. Also be sure to get the latest version of your compiler, which may or may not involve an extra step.


So for C++11 the best compiler is clang. Clang doesn't work very well on windows though. minGW is Gcc for windows, but that is behind on C++11 features compared to gcc.

Only the official MinGW is lagging behind. http://sourceforge.net/projects/mingwbuilds/ has a very current gcc-4.8.1 based MinGW distribution (which is regularly updated with bugfixes etc.)

As an IDE QtCreator is nice, the GDB-integration is great and it supports CMake-based projects.

http://www.ishani.org/web/articles/code/clangvsx/ this plugin for VS2010 and up makes Clang available in VS. You will probably want to get some decent refacotoring tools for C++ these usually aren't free sadly VAX is good

Worked on titles: CMR:DiRT2, DiRT 3, DiRT: Showdown, GRID 2, theHunter, theHunter: Primal, Mad Max, Watch Dogs: Legion

If you're beginning to learn C++ and you have access to Visual Studio I see no reason to not to use it.
VS has really good debugging features, and you don't want to debug code in the command line.

visualnovelty.com - Novelty - Visual novel maker
Any modern IDE should have a GUI debugger.

On the other hand, VS is the best IDE for pure windows development.

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