> Chris Wood wrote:
My concern about 64-bit is that I haven't heard if it will be
supported for Managed C++. I expect that C++/CLI will support it, if
only through the /clr:pure switch. But is there any support for
Managed C++? I was expecting not, since the syntax is being replaced
with C++/CLI. If that's the case I'd like to know sooner rather than
later, so I can budget time for the migration. Do you have any
information on this?
Since I'm here now, I can answer the question. Portability between 32-bit
and 64-bit platforms for binary images is more work than just switching
syntaxes. That said, the new syntax (sometimes called C++/CLI) is the only
syntax that is going to support 64-bit portability. New compilation modes
like /clr:safe and /clr:pure are only supported for the new syntax.
To get reasonably supported 64-bit portability, you'll need to compile with
the /clr:safe mode. The language subset there is similar to C# with a few
C++ features like templates. Many things that can be done in /clr:pure are
not portable (like calling native code). This isn't to say that it cannot be
done with /clr:pure, but it's probably more difficult than one would
realize. Converting code between /clr:pure and /clr:safe is likely going to
be the same cost as rewriting the code.
Hopefully, that doesn't sound too discouraging. I will say that converting
between the old syntax and the new syntax is not as difficult as it may
sound. I've done it by hand a few times, and I have a rate of about 2000
lines per hour. With the assistance of tools, it's sure to be faster.
Cheerio!
--
Brandon Bray, Visual C++ Compiler
http://blogs.msdn.com/branbray/
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