i need a good free c++ compiler

Technology and Gaming
#1

i don’t have shit for cash and i need a compiler.

looked on Google found some but they looked complicated (i’m super new to programming, so the less complicated the better)

call me a newfag, call me a moron. but if you know of one help a poor ass black brother out^_^

p.s. I’m also having trouble getting a flowing water effect in the source mod im making so if you know how to do that I’d thank you for it

Edit: i need it to link code lines automatically

#2

either get Visual C++ Express or Code Blocks
it’s always better to have an IDE with a compiler

#3

I personally feel that the Visual editions always come with way more than they’re supposed to be, bloated. But yeah it’s one possibility.

Code Blocks is just an IDE that doesn’t come with a compiler suite. On Linux you have the whole GCC suite, the Windows counterpart would be MinGW. To ease the setup there is the tdm-gcc suite, all this is free of course.
Then you also have the Intel Compiler Suites but they cost bucks.

#4

Go for Codeblocks. It’s not complicated and you will get used to it very fast.

#5

Codeblocks comes with a compiler and all you need to compile your programs

#6

Dev C++(direct link)

#7

There’s a version which comes with MinGW, but the last time I checked I had to update most of the stuff myself to get it work (some dependancies were somehow lost and it refused to compile some perfectly fine c++ code). So until this day I set up the the compiler suite myself.

But maybe this has changed and by all means you can try that :slight_smile: .

#8

I’m not sure what is the best but we used Dev C++ in school and i found it to be an excellent program.

#9

Yeah, Dev C++ is easy and great. That’s what i started with :slight_smile:

#10

Dev-C++ is soooo old

#11

At least it works.

#12

I had some problems with it, but I don’t know what exactly anymore

#13

You do realize C++ is quite old as well? The latest change in the C++ standard is from 2003, since then it hasn’t changed.

On top of that, there’s wxDev-C++, a continuation of the Dev-C++ project.

Not that I’m advocating the use of Dev-C++ in any way, but please check your facts before posting.

#14

Visual Studio C++ 2010 Express.

#15

and that means you have to use old IDEs which don’t have some features that make coding easier?

#16

The age of an IDE and the features that it does or doesn’t have aren’t necessarily related, especially not when it comes to a programming language that hasn’t been updated since 2003. If I translate your point to the Half-Life universe, you’re basically saying “The first Half-Life is old and therefor it doesn’t have good features”. I think you and I both know that that isn’t the case. :wink:

Saying something is bad just because it is old, is a nonsense argument. If you’d post a list of features that are missing in Dev-C++ which you think are vital to being a good IDE, that would be good information and I think it would make a nice read. :slight_smile:

Either way, the bottom line is that I wasn’t telling you that you have to use one IDE or another. You are, of course, free to pick whatever IDE you prefer.

My personal preference is Microsoft Visual C++ Express, by the way. I’ve used Dev-C++ as well and I think it’s a very decent IDE. It was a great alternative to Microsoft Visual C++ back in the day when there was no free C++ IDE from Microsoft. Since there are Express versions of the Visual C++ software, I haven’t felt the need to venture outside of that for my programming needs.

#17

A newer version of C++ is going to be released in a year or 2.

#18

so from what im seeing dev c++ and visual c++ are great places to start, thanks guys.
also, any solutions to the flowing water? cause it went from annoying to seriously pissing me off:|

#19

You make a good point, but consider that many people TODAY would not like Half-Life, because compared to newer games there are far fewer people telling you where to go, the storyline is, while new and refreshing in that day, completely nonsensical today, the graphics are difficult to contend with for some, etc. For people just starting out, it’s not quite as impressive a tutorial to FPS gaming.

This parallels to IDE’s. If I had started with a more manual text-editing thing like Notepad++ or Dev-C++, I’m pretty sure I would have given up; call the newer ones “Assisted tools for newbies”, but that’s perfectly fitting for me. When I’m worming through an API I’ve never used before, I don’t want to get the object types and method call names (do they use underscores or camel case? two parameters or one?) from documentation online somewhere. That’s why such intuitive IntelliSense like in the Visual Studio programs is such a godsend for me. Plus, I actually have a lot of CPU and RAM I can use, so if it’s bloated that’s fine by me.

PS. Visual Studio provides a lot of Windows-specialized startup projects. Most of the time, you’ll want to look for the one that gives you native code and no pre-made classes.

#20

Actually, Dev-C++ supports that as well. It can index header files into a class browser, which can help you find certain classes/functions and can also do code completion. It shows the prototype of a function as a tooltip above the code, just like Visual C++ does. :slight_smile:

As I said, I’m not an advocate for the software and I personally don’t use it anymore since Microsoft Visual C++ Express came around, but Dev-C++ isn’t as bad as you guys make it out to be here.

I’m not a Source modder, so I can’t really help you with this, but you should Google a bit on the subject. There seem to be a lot of tutorials about flowing water in the Source engine.

Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.