C++ Development Tools
When I wrote my C++ Programming: Visual QuickStart Guide book back in 2005 (with co-auth0r Andreas Signer), I had to decide what software to recommend for C++ beginners. As with most languages, full-time experienced programmers may like serious, complete tools, or commercial products, but I often find that software on that level can provide too much of a learning curve for someone simultaneously trying to learn a programming language. What I like to recommend in my books is software that’s approachable, reliable, and, preferably, free. So, for the C++ book, I recommend Bloodshed’s Dev-C++ for Windows.
At that time, Dev-C++ was more or less a standard for beginners (and it was free). I used either version 4 or the beta of version 5 for the book and for years readers seemed to be fine with Dev-C++. Now it seems that either Dev-C++ is no more or just not a good enough option. The Dev-C++ Web site is down, although I don’t know yet if the site is down for good. You can still download Dev-++ from Sourceforge, but it’s the five-year old version.
In searching for good alternatives to Dev-C++ (I don’t use Windows regularly, so couldn’t make a recommend on that myself), I came across a post about why you shouldn’t use Dev-C++. That writer recommended Programmer’s Notepad, Code::Blocks (which also runs on Mac OS X and Linux), and the free edition of Microsoft’s Visual Studio. I haven’t used any of these, so I can’t personally recommend them, although I have used the full version of Microsoft’s Visual Studio (years ago for C# programming in ASP.NET), and can attest to how good it is as an IDE. In the comments to that post, some readers still say that Dev-C++ is so much easier to learn with than the others, so I wouldn’t rule that out entirely.
> some readers still say that Dev-C++ is so much easier
> to learn with than the others, so I wouldn’t rule that
> out entirely.
Dev-C++ should never be used; in cases where someone is considering Dev-C++ for ease-of-use and is unwilling to use a more modern option wxDev-C++ (an updated version with some new features) should be the go-to choice.
Comment by Jason Adams — April 6, 2010 @ 11:27 am
Well, I don’t feel as strongly about it as you do, but thanks for recommendation. My only concern with wxDev-C++ is people getting confused about the addition of wxWidgets to what they’re doing. Still, good to have (free) options.
Comment by Larry — April 7, 2010 @ 9:15 am
My college C++ professor recommended installing the Cygwin suite to make Windows useful for developing in general, and then using GCC programs along with general *nix utils with the command line. The actual editor he recommended is called Crimson Editor, and it’s not bad. (I think anything other than Notepad is pretty much acceptable for beginners.) I’m in the crowd where “Linux is my IDE”, and take advantage of lots of separate tools instead of one big bloated IDE that something like Visual Studio presents.
Comment by Kevin — April 16, 2010 @ 4:09 am
Thanks for sharing. I am familiar with Crimson Editor, although I don’t think I’ve ever used it for C++ development. But, yes, anything is better than Notepad!
Comment by Larry — April 17, 2010 @ 8:17 am
I’m taking a C++ class and the professor wanted us to use the 2005 version of Visual Studio, but because I have Vista I have to use the 2008 version. It works fine, I guess, since I have no other experience with C++.
However, I would like to mention that the flowcharting software he recommends is a Godsend: http://raptor.martincarlisle.com/
It’s a little quirky, but once we saw HOW to use it, programming C++ was much easier to understand. If you are doing a lot of decisions – it’s a great help because it will do your code for you. You have to clean it up, but you didn’t have to write it all.
Comment by Hope — April 18, 2010 @ 2:26 pm
Thanks for sharing. Any IDE that does some of the work for you is a good thing!
Comment by Larry — April 19, 2010 @ 9:28 am