Which edition of vc++?
by William M. Johnson · in Technical Issues · 06/09/2002 (6:56 am) · 3 replies
I have been using an introductory edition of visual C++ that I got with my college programming book for a long time, and only now have I looked into upgrading to a normal version because of my recent purchase of torque.
My problem is that I am not 100% sure as to which version I'll need, and the microsoft website doesn't seem to have too much easy-access info for anything other than the new .net versions.
I was leaning towards the standard edition because it is has the lower cost, but I just wanted to know if this version has any real drawbacks. Will this version run fine on windows 98? Oddly enough the only info I saw regarding it's OS requirements stated that it was for 95 and NT, mentioning nothing of 98. I assume it would work on 98 being that my introduction version works fine with 98, but I just wanted to make sure. Will it suffice for working with the torque engine? Also, is the standard version eligible for registration on Microsoft's site so I can get the updates?
These questions might seem ignorant but I could use some answers if someone would be so kind. I just want to make sure I know 100% about what I'm purchasing before I shell out that much money, and the different versions and lack of info on the web has made it hard to make a decision.
My problem is that I am not 100% sure as to which version I'll need, and the microsoft website doesn't seem to have too much easy-access info for anything other than the new .net versions.
I was leaning towards the standard edition because it is has the lower cost, but I just wanted to know if this version has any real drawbacks. Will this version run fine on windows 98? Oddly enough the only info I saw regarding it's OS requirements stated that it was for 95 and NT, mentioning nothing of 98. I assume it would work on 98 being that my introduction version works fine with 98, but I just wanted to make sure. Will it suffice for working with the torque engine? Also, is the standard version eligible for registration on Microsoft's site so I can get the updates?
These questions might seem ignorant but I could use some answers if someone would be so kind. I just want to make sure I know 100% about what I'm purchasing before I shell out that much money, and the different versions and lack of info on the web has made it hard to make a decision.
About the author
#2
06/10/2002 (9:08 pm)
If you are going to use Torque, I recomend getting VC++ 6. I have VC++ 7 (thats .NET) and I really love it, but I get some _VERY_ weird build errors trying to build Torque with ver 7. Plus you can probably get ver 6 cheaper now that 7 is out.
#3
Be aware that the 'standard' edition has no optimization and no profiler. Those are the two features that are missing when compared to the 'Pro' version that are probably the biggest issue for most people. If cost is a huge issue, you might want to consider downloading the Borland C++ compiler, command-line edition. It is freely downloadable and usable... No fancy IDE, but it will produce better code than the non-optimizing standard edition of VC++. (You might consider using your academic VC++ for doing day to day development and then using BC++ to do the final release compile).
IIRC there are a few issues with Borland in that it expects .libs to be in a different format, so for some stuff like newer versions of DirectX you need to get Borland specific versions of the .libs (Microsoft used to supply Borland compatible libs but doesnt anymore) in addition to the DXSDK..But I believe there are some dedicated Borland fans who already handle this for you (try doing a google search?) and distribute the proper libs.
Personally, I'm using Microsoft Visual .Net/7 C++. If you've got the cash to spare, I highly recommend it.
06/11/2002 (2:07 pm)
The standard version will run fine on 98, but as mentioned previously, consider upgrading to 2000/XP if at all possible (yeah, the cost can be a bit steep, I know). I've been using 2000 for a long time (got in on the Microsoft beta test for it) and now I'm using XP Pro and I would never go back to developing under 9x. You couldn't pay me enough. Having a DirectX exclusive mode program crashing...forcing you reboot? How barbaric! Hell, even a simple incorrect memory deallocation will bluescreen you in 9x, whereas 2K/XP will just throw up a messagebox and ask if you want to run the debugger (if it isnt already running, that is..in which case it will just break into the execution).Be aware that the 'standard' edition has no optimization and no profiler. Those are the two features that are missing when compared to the 'Pro' version that are probably the biggest issue for most people. If cost is a huge issue, you might want to consider downloading the Borland C++ compiler, command-line edition. It is freely downloadable and usable... No fancy IDE, but it will produce better code than the non-optimizing standard edition of VC++. (You might consider using your academic VC++ for doing day to day development and then using BC++ to do the final release compile).
IIRC there are a few issues with Borland in that it expects .libs to be in a different format, so for some stuff like newer versions of DirectX you need to get Borland specific versions of the .libs (Microsoft used to supply Borland compatible libs but doesnt anymore) in addition to the DXSDK..But I believe there are some dedicated Borland fans who already handle this for you (try doing a google search?) and distribute the proper libs.
Personally, I'm using Microsoft Visual .Net/7 C++. If you've got the cash to spare, I highly recommend it.
Dave Wilson