New to C++, which IDE?

[Pat]

I am going to need to develop some C++ modules for use in another
application (commercial FEA code produced by Ansoft). I think the
programming needs for this are pretty basic, and so was thinking one of
the free C++ IDEs would probably do. The three I'm considering are:

1. Visual Studio C++ Express

2. Bloodshed Dev-C++

3. Code::Blocks

Any opinions on which of these would be best for a newbie (i.e. easiest
to use)? I'll be running this on an HP Workstation (dual Opteron 280s)
running Windows XP Pro x64.

Along the same lines, since I'm new to C++ (but not programming) I was
thinking of picking up a copy of "C++ Primer Plus" by Stephen Prata.
It's gotten pretty good reviews on Amazon, and looks like it would be a
good reference for beginners. Any other suggestions though are welcomed.

Thanks for any feedback on these. I appreciate it.

Pat

[lbonafide]

On Apr 7, 11:39*am, Pat <pkelecy@_REMOVETHIS_gmail.comwrote:

<snip>

Can't recommend an IDE because I don't use one, but the FAQ below can
point you to some book references.

http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lit...e.html#faq-6.7

[Bo Persson]

Pat wrote:

I am going to need to develop some C++ modules for use in another
application (commercial FEA code produced by Ansoft). I think the
programming needs for this are pretty basic, and so was thinking
one of the free C++ IDEs would probably do. The three I'm
considering are:
1. Visual Studio C++ Express

2. Bloodshed Dev-C++

3. Code::Blocks

Any opinions on which of these would be best for a newbie (i.e.
easiest to use)? I'll be running this on an HP Workstation (dual
Opteron 280s) running Windows XP Pro x64.

Along the same lines, since I'm new to C++ (but not programming) I
was thinking of picking up a copy of "C++ Primer Plus" by Stephen
Prata. It's gotten pretty good reviews on Amazon, and looks like it
would be a good reference for beginners. Any other suggestions
though are welcomed.

If you are developing for Windows, Visual Studio is the native
environment and already contains the compiler. A natural choice, if
you don't have any other very specific requirements.
Bo Persson

[Christopher]

On Apr 7, 11:39 am, Pat <pkelecy@_REMOVETHIS_gmail.comwrote:

I am going to need to develop some C++ modules for use in another
application (commercial FEA code produced by Ansoft). I think the
programming needs for this are pretty basic, and so was thinking one of
the free C++ IDEs would probably do. The three I'm considering are:

1. Visual Studio C++ Express

2. Bloodshed Dev-C++

3. Code::Blocks

Any opinions on which of these would be best for a newbie (i.e. easiest
to use)? I'll be running this on an HP Workstation (dual Opteron 280s)
running Windows XP Pro x64.

Along the same lines, since I'm new to C++ (but not programming) I was
thinking of picking up a copy of "C++ Primer Plus" by Stephen Prata.
It's gotten pretty good reviews on Amazon, and looks like it would be a
good reference for beginners. Any other suggestions though are welcomed.

Thanks for any feedback on these. I appreciate it.

Pat

A search on this group and the word "IDE" should give you all the
answers you could ever hope for. The question has been asked a zillion
times :)

[Pat]

lb*******@yahoo.com wrote:

On Apr 7, 11:39 am, Pat <pkelecy@_REMOVETHIS_gmail.comwrote:

<snip>

Can't recommend an IDE because I don't use one, but the FAQ below can
point you to some book references.

http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lit...e.html#faq-6.7

Thanks. Looks like there's a lot of useful information on that website.
I'll definitely check it out.

So does it really take 6 months to learn C++?

[lbonafide]

On Apr 7, 3:08*pm, Pat <pkelecy@_REMOVETHIS_gmail.comwrote:

>
So does it really take 6 months to learn C++?

Depends - I've been using it for years and am still learning things
about it, and there are features I've never used. The process of
learning C++ (or anything) is a continuum. I don't know where Cline/
Lomow/Girou came up with the "6-12 months" number, which seems rather
arbitrary to me. I would guess it depends on how new you are to
programming, OO, how fast you learn, etc.

Keep in mind you can be productive with and write good C++ programs in
a lot shorter time than that, even if you don't know how to use
everything.

[Pat]

Bo Persson wrote:

Pat wrote:

>I am going to need to develop some C++ modules for use in another
application (commercial FEA code produced by Ansoft). I think the
programming needs for this are pretty basic, and so was thinking
one of the free C++ IDEs would probably do. The three I'm
considering are:
1. Visual Studio C++ Express

2. Bloodshed Dev-C++

3. Code::Blocks

Any opinions on which of these would be best for a newbie (i.e.
easiest to use)? I'll be running this on an HP Workstation (dual
Opteron 280s) running Windows XP Pro x64.

Along the same lines, since I'm new to C++ (but not programming) I
was thinking of picking up a copy of "C++ Primer Plus" by Stephen
Prata. It's gotten pretty good reviews on Amazon, and looks like it
would be a good reference for beginners. Any other suggestions
though are welcomed.

If you are developing for Windows, Visual Studio is the native
environment and already contains the compiler. A natural choice, if
you don't have any other very specific requirements.
Bo Persson

Thanks Bo. That's my inclination also. The main drawback (I think) is
that it doesn't support 64-bit platforms. But XP x64 will run 32-bit
code, so that's not a major issue.

[Pat]

Christopher wrote:

On Apr 7, 11:39 am, Pat <pkelecy@_REMOVETHIS_gmail.comwrote:

>I am going to need to develop some C++ modules for use in another
application (commercial FEA code produced by Ansoft). I think the
programming needs for this are pretty basic, and so was thinking one of
the free C++ IDEs would probably do. The three I'm considering are:

1. Visual Studio C++ Express

2. Bloodshed Dev-C++

3. Code::Blocks

Any opinions on which of these would be best for a newbie (i.e. easiest
to use)? I'll be running this on an HP Workstation (dual Opteron 280s)
running Windows XP Pro x64.

Along the same lines, since I'm new to C++ (but not programming) I was
thinking of picking up a copy of "C++ Primer Plus" by Stephen Prata.
It's gotten pretty good reviews on Amazon, and looks like it would be a
good reference for beginners. Any other suggestions though are welcomed.

Thanks for any feedback on these. I appreciate it.

Pat

A search on this group and the word "IDE" should give you all the
answers you could ever hope for. The question has been asked a zillion
times :)

Will do. Thanks!

[Ioannis Vranos]

Pat wrote:

lb*******@yahoo.com wrote:

>On Apr 7, 11:39 am, Pat <pkelecy@_REMOVETHIS_gmail.comwrote:

<snip>

Can't recommend an IDE because I don't use one, but the FAQ below can
point you to some book references.

http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lit...e.html#faq-6.7

Thanks. Looks like there's a lot of useful information on that website.
I'll definitely check it out.

So does it really take 6 months to learn C++?

If you want to learn some simple stuff to make GUI applications, then it
will not take long. If you want to learn the entire language you will
need years.

[Pat]

As I mentioned, I really only need to learn enough to create these C++
modules used by the commercial FEA code I use. I think these modules
are pretty basic (mostly calls to other functions I expect) so I'm
hoping I can come up to speed in a couple of weeks. I'll try to post
one though to get some opinions on that.

I do have prior programming experience (BASIC, FORTRAN, and most
recently Matlab) but not with any object oriented language. So it may
be tougher going than I expect. I hope not (mainly because I'm pressed
for time) but I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Thanks again for all the responses on this. I appreciate it.

[INSAIN TEH FREAK]

On Apr 7, 10:39*am, Pat <pkelecy@_REMOVETHIS_gmail.comwrote:

I am going to need to develop some C++ modules for use in another
application (commercial FEA code produced by Ansoft). *I think the
programming needs for this are pretty basic, and so was thinking one of
the free C++ IDEs would probably do. *The three I'm considering are:

1. Visual Studio C++ Express

2. Bloodshed Dev-C++

3. Code::Blocks

Any opinions on which of these would be best for a newbie (i.e. easiest
to use)? *I'll be running this on an HP Workstation (dual Opteron 280s)
running Windows XP Pro x64.

Along the same lines, since I'm new to C++ (but not programming) I was
thinking of picking up a copy of "C++ Primer Plus" by Stephen Prata.
It's gotten pretty good reviews on Amazon, and looks like it would be a
good reference for beginners. Any other suggestions though are welcomed.

Thanks for any feedback on these. I appreciate it.

Pat

I use DEV-C++, it kinda bugs me, so I wouldn't recommend it, but part
of it may be because My computer sucks, so anyway, I hope it gets
better.

[Michael Oswald]

Pat wrote:

1. Visual Studio C++ Express

2. Bloodshed Dev-C++

3. Code::Blocks

Under Windows, I possibly would use Visual Studio, on Linux I use
Code::Blocks because I simply like it. It has some nice features. And I did
some small changes to it, so that it fits my needs better, that's what you
can't do with Visual Studio.

lg,
Michael

[Matthias Buelow]

Pat wrote:

So does it really take 6 months to learn C++?

http://norvig.com/21-days.html

[=?UTF-8?B?RXJpayBXaWtzdHLDtm0=?=]

On 2008-04-07 22:16, Pat wrote:

Bo Persson wrote:

>Pat wrote:

>>I am going to need to develop some C++ modules for use in another
application (commercial FEA code produced by Ansoft). I think the
programming needs for this are pretty basic, and so was thinking
one of the free C++ IDEs would probably do. The three I'm
considering are:
1. Visual Studio C++ Express

2. Bloodshed Dev-C++

3. Code::Blocks

Any opinions on which of these would be best for a newbie (i.e.
easiest to use)? I'll be running this on an HP Workstation (dual
Opteron 280s) running Windows XP Pro x64.

Along the same lines, since I'm new to C++ (but not programming) I
was thinking of picking up a copy of "C++ Primer Plus" by Stephen
Prata. It's gotten pretty good reviews on Amazon, and looks like it
would be a good reference for beginners. Any other suggestions
though are welcomed.

If you are developing for Windows, Visual Studio is the native
environment and already contains the compiler. A natural choice, if
you don't have any other very specific requirements.
Bo Persson

Thanks Bo. That's my inclination also. The main drawback (I think) is
that it doesn't support 64-bit platforms. But XP x64 will run 32-bit
code, so that's not a major issue.

You can download the Windows SDK and use the compiler that comes with
it. See http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/9yb4317s.aspx

--
Erik Wikström

[noagbodjivictor]

Visual Studio

On Apr 7, 12:39 pm, Pat <pkelecy@_REMOVETHIS_gmail.comwrote:

I am going to need to develop some C++ modules for use in another
application (commercial FEA code produced by Ansoft). I think the
programming needs for this are pretty basic, and so was thinking one of
the free C++ IDEs would probably do. The three I'm considering are:

1. Visual Studio C++ Express

2. Bloodshed Dev-C++

3. Code::Blocks

Any opinions on which of these would be best for a newbie (i.e. easiest
to use)? I'll be running this on an HP Workstation (dual Opteron 280s)
running Windows XP Pro x64.

Along the same lines, since I'm new to C++ (but not programming) I was
thinking of picking up a copy of "C++ Primer Plus" by Stephen Prata.
It's gotten pretty good reviews on Amazon, and looks like it would be a
good reference for beginners. Any other suggestions though are welcomed.

Thanks for any feedback on these. I appreciate it.

Pat

[Pat]

Erik Wikström wrote:

On 2008-04-07 22:16, Pat wrote:

>Bo Persson wrote:

>>Pat wrote:
I am going to need to develop some C++ modules for use in another
application (commercial FEA code produced by Ansoft). I think the
programming needs for this are pretty basic, and so was thinking
one of the free C++ IDEs would probably do. The three I'm
considering are:
1. Visual Studio C++ Express

2. Bloodshed Dev-C++

3. Code::Blocks

Any opinions on which of these would be best for a newbie (i.e.
easiest to use)? I'll be running this on an HP Workstation (dual
Opteron 280s) running Windows XP Pro x64.

Along the same lines, since I'm new to C++ (but not programming) I
was thinking of picking up a copy of "C++ Primer Plus" by Stephen
Prata. It's gotten pretty good reviews on Amazon, and looks like it
would be a good reference for beginners. Any other suggestions
though are welcomed.

If you are developing for Windows, Visual Studio is the native
environment and already contains the compiler. A natural choice, if
you don't have any other very specific requirements.
Bo Persson

Thanks Bo. That's my inclination also. The main drawback (I think) is
that it doesn't support 64-bit platforms. But XP x64 will run 32-bit
code, so that's not a major issue.

You can download the Windows SDK and use the compiler that comes with
it. See http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/9yb4317s.aspx

So you can choose which compiler to use in Visual Studio? Nice. Thanks
for link!

[Ioannis Vranos]

Pat wrote:

I am going to need to develop some C++ modules for use in another
application (commercial FEA code produced by Ansoft). I think the
programming needs for this are pretty basic, and so was thinking one of
the free C++ IDEs would probably do. The three I'm considering are:

1. Visual Studio C++ Express

I suggest the above. It comes from a big company and it completely
supports ISO C++98 (ISO/IEC 14882:1998) and ISO C95 (ISO/IEC 9899:1995)
standards.

2. Bloodshed Dev-C++

MINGW compiler is broken regarding long double support.

>
3. Code::Blocks

I suppose you will use MINGW with this too.

>
Any opinions on which of these would be best for a newbie (i.e. easiest
to use)? I'll be running this on an HP Workstation (dual Opteron 280s)
running Windows XP Pro x64.

Along the same lines, since I'm new to C++ (but not programming) I was
thinking of picking up a copy of "C++ Primer Plus" by Stephen Prata.
It's gotten pretty good reviews on Amazon, and looks like it would be a
good reference for beginners. Any other suggestions though are welcomed.

"Accelerated C++" by Andrew Koenig, Barbara Moo has a very good
reputation for a newcomer book.
Also check http://www.accu.org at the Book reviews section.

>
Thanks for any feedback on these. I appreciate it.

Pat

Ioannis (John)

[=?UTF-8?B?RXJpayBXaWtzdHLDtm0=?=]

On 2008-04-09 18:04, Ioannis Vranos wrote:

Pat wrote:

>I am going to need to develop some C++ modules for use in another
application (commercial FEA code produced by Ansoft). I think the
programming needs for this are pretty basic, and so was thinking one of
the free C++ IDEs would probably do. The three I'm considering are:

1. Visual Studio C++ Express

I suggest the above. It comes from a big company and it completely
supports ISO C++98 (ISO/IEC 14882:1998) and ISO C95 (ISO/IEC 9899:1995)
standards.

No. While the compiler is pretty standard conformant it does not support
at least one feature in C++98 (export templates).

--
Erik Wikström

[Pat]

asterisc wrote:

>
A good alternative is using Eclipse + CDT!

Would this be better than Visual Studio for the newbie? If so, why?

[Pat]

Ioannis Vranos wrote:

Pat wrote:

>I am going to need to develop some C++ modules for use in another
application (commercial FEA code produced by Ansoft). I think the
programming needs for this are pretty basic, and so was thinking one of
the free C++ IDEs would probably do. The three I'm considering are:

1. Visual Studio C++ Express

I suggest the above. It comes from a big company and it completely
supports ISO C++98 (ISO/IEC 14882:1998) and ISO C95 (ISO/IEC 9899:1995)
standards.

Thanks. That's my inclination also.

>

>2. Bloodshed Dev-C++

MINGW compiler is broken regarding long double support.

>3. Code::Blocks

I suppose you will use MINGW with this too.

>Any opinions on which of these would be best for a newbie (i.e. easiest
to use)? I'll be running this on an HP Workstation (dual Opteron 280s)
running Windows XP Pro x64.

Along the same lines, since I'm new to C++ (but not programming) I was
thinking of picking up a copy of "C++ Primer Plus" by Stephen Prata.
It's gotten pretty good reviews on Amazon, and looks like it would be a
good reference for beginners. Any other suggestions though are welcomed.

"Accelerated C++" by Andrew Koenig, Barbara Moo has a very good
reputation for a newcomer book.
Also check http://www.accu.org at the Book reviews section.

Thanks again. I'll check those out.

Pat

[Ioannis Vranos]

Erik Wikström wrote:

On 2008-04-09 18:04, Ioannis Vranos wrote:

>Pat wrote:

>>I am going to need to develop some C++ modules for use in another
application (commercial FEA code produced by Ansoft). I think the
programming needs for this are pretty basic, and so was thinking one of
the free C++ IDEs would probably do. The three I'm considering are:

1. Visual Studio C++ Express

I suggest the above. It comes from a big company and it completely
supports ISO C++98 (ISO/IEC 14882:1998) and ISO C95 (ISO/IEC 9899:1995)
standards.

No. While the compiler is pretty standard conformant it does not support
at least one feature in C++98 (export templates).

Yes, you are right, it supports C++98 except export templates. MINGW/GCC
also doesn't support them.

[Jerry Coffin]

In article <ft***********@ulysses.noc.ntua.gr>,
iv*****@nospam.no.spamfreemail.gr says...

Erik Wikström wrote:

On 2008-04-09 18:04, Ioannis Vranos wrote:

[ ... ]

I suggest the above. It comes from a big company and it completely
supports ISO C++98 (ISO/IEC 14882:1998) and ISO C95 (ISO/IEC 9899:1995)
standards.

No. While the compiler is pretty standard conformant it does not support
at least one feature in C++98 (export templates).

Yes, you are right, it supports C++98 except export templates. MINGW/GCC
also doesn't support them.

It's missing a number of other features as well, such as exception
specifications (it parses but ignores them).

--
Later,
Jerry.

The universe is a figment of its own imagination.