[erimir]

ok, help me out guys. i have the free version Dev-Cpp compiler, as i am only new at this. Is this compiler gunna go the distance or will i need upgrade? If so, at which stage do i need to invest, where do i get it from, and will using Dev-Cpp compromise my ability on a newer compiler (i.e that whole"cant teach an old dog new tricks" concept) ?

[brucet]

Dev-Cpp will work for you for quite a while. Once you want to start making app's with a GUI you can get Visual C++ Express Edition from Microsoft for free, which is a good compiler, it just has a lot of bloat in it.

[polymath]

The newest versions of GCC have full support for all of the standardised language features in addition to partial support for features anticipated in the C++0x release. MinGW is based on GCC, and the Dev-CPP environment (at least all of the recent ones) use MinGW as the standard compiler.

So, to simplify, the compiler shipped with recent versions of Dev-CPP is perfectly fine and won't weigh you down.

-Disclaimer: it'll work Unless you're a freak about the assembly the compiler generates (no offense intended to all of you i've done that before)in this case you can use either MSVC++ or intel's compiler.

You're completely fine, so long as you update the compiler... i believe there's a feature that allows that, and by the time this becomes necessary the installation will be easy However, as far as Dev-CPP goes, its not updated anymore or maintained, so if you're looking for an environment (which also uses the same compiler as Dev-CPP) which is more recently updated, or that contains a newer version of the compiler, i would reccomend Codeblocks (www.codeblocks.org).

This post has been edited by polymath: 14 July 2009 - 09:01 AM

[Fib]

Here's the link for VC++ 2008 Express:

http://www.microsoft.com/express/vc/

I use both Dev-C++ and VC++, both are free, both I like. Pick one

[Anarion]

Eclipse is an IDE based on Mingw and is useful for making cross-platform applications.

[ccubed]

There's a port of dev-c++ using WX. That's wxDev-c++. Then there's the sourceforge pages which report 90%+ activity whether or not it's on coding. It uses the 3.3.x+ series of gcc and I personally don't know of any windows IDEs thus far that use the 4.4.0 GCC releases. Not even cygwin has the 4.4.x series of gcc.

I'll also note that further research revealed that not even the latest mingW 5.1.4 uses GCC 4.x.x. It still uses 3.x.x.

Anyways, my point being, dev-c++ has as updated a compiler as it needs. If you want the latest gcc, etc, get cygwin and compile from source.

This post has been edited by ccubed: 14 July 2009 - 12:26 PM

[kidicarus]

I second the Eclipse CDT recomendation. It is free - plus, the instructions tell you how to set up the compiler.

[xPurplex]

I use Dev-C++ just because it is simple, easy to use, and gets the job done.

[erimir]

Thanks for all the advice! Sounds like my Dev++ is good enough for at least the length of time it will take me to digest all the helpful hints you guys have shared