Alternative C/C++ compilers

I used OpenWatcom over a year ago for some time. It creates the smallest executables! I couldn''t get it to run since, though...

Regards,
Drag0n

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"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the universe trying to build bigger and better idiots. So far, the universe is winning..." -- Rich Cook

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I can''t comment on OpenGL but the Digital mars compiler will work with SDL after some work.

Just about any library can work with any compiler with a little effort I''ve been searching around the net for the past few days trying to find strengths and weaknesses of OW and DMC in relation to game development. Unfortunately, there is very little info to be found. Aside from the newsgroup and messageboard posts from Joe Newb trying to figure out how to get DX9 to work with one of said compilers.

I''ve found some recent benchmarks in an issue of DDJ (involving several present day compilers), but further digging turned up issues with the compiler flags used in the tests, and an errata page posted by the author. It would seem most people would very much rather stick to the mainstream rather than venture off into the unknown, which is quite understandable.

I would very much like to use VC .NET or even Intel C++ when I head down the Indie road in the very near future, but I''m not ready to fork out the cash for either just yet. I''ve played with Borland and MingW, and I have issues with both. I''m presently toying around with OW, and DMC is next on the list. I need to make a decision soon though. It is tempting to just get my base code underway and target all of the free compilers, then judge how things turn out. But I''d really just rather hunker down with one and stick with it.

If anyone else out there has experience with OW or DMC (or perhaps an obscure free compiler no one knows of) I would love to hear it.

If you don''t my having an IDE then you could use the visual c++ .NET compiler (its available free from the m$ website). Or, you could use the eclipse IDE which I''ve heard really good things about (never accually tried it myself, though). Maybe if you search google or microsoft.com you''ll find a link to it (the compiler, that is). I don''t see what''s wrong with mingw, though. It''s a very good compiler with lots of support.

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Original post by brassfish89
If you don''t my having an IDE then you could use the visual c++ .NET compiler (its available free from the m$ website). Or, you could use the eclipse IDE which I''ve heard really good things about (never accually tried it myself, though). Maybe if you search google or microsoft.com you''ll find a link to it (the compiler, that is). I don''t see what''s wrong with mingw, though. It''s a very good compiler with lots of support.

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As I said above, I''m not ready to fork out the cash for VC yet. I already use Eclipse for my Java work, and the C/C++ plugin requires a compiler to use (it''s geared toward gcc last I checked, and would require a good deal of tweaking to work with another compiler) - so it doesn''t count in the compiler arena. The issues I have with mingw are mostly related to compile times and output sizes (among other things). And yes, I know I can decrease the size of the exe with UPX (or whatever it''s called). I have no problem usiong an IDE, but at the moment I''m trying to compare compilers.

Since I still have found no info on the topic, and since no one has responded here or in the other places I posted with any data, I think I''ll go ahead and put both OW and DMC through the paces. Maybe I''ll put my findings up on my website in the future.

Interesting. I had no idea the .NET C/C++ compiler was available with the platform SDK. Setting up a development environment for it would not be an issue, but I wonder what the restrictions & limitations are. For example, are all optimization options available?

I''d still like to hear feedback on DMC and OW. If I had more time I''d make a couple Pong or Breakout games to see what the experience is like with those compilers, but I need to make a decision very soon. If the SDK compiler is fully functioning, that might be my baby.

I didn''t think the free one did native code nor C/C++. I thought it was C# & VB.Net only?

The C/C++ one is not free, only the VB and C# ones are.

The C++ one IS free if you download the full .NET sdk, only C# and VB come with the redist. It does do native code, but you don''t get any optimizations. The only thing other than that that you don''t get is ATL and MFC (AFAIK).

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Original post by DukeAtreides076
The C++ one IS free if you download the full .NET sdk, only C# and VB come with the redist. It does do native code, but you don''t get any optimizations. The only thing other than that that you don''t get is ATL and MFC (AFAIK).

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Sadly, with the Platform SDK you get the c++ 13.10 (AKA the visual studio 2003 one) OPTIMIZING compiler....but for the IA-64 (Itanium)!! =(