Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!rutgers!columbia!read.columbia.edu!kearns
From: kearns@read.columbia.edu (Steve Kearns)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: C++ for DOS/OS2
Keywords: C++ DOS OS/2
Message-ID: <6492@columbia.edu>
Date: 12 Sep 89 14:12:50 GMT
References: <293@softeng1.UUCP> <9081@saturn.ucsc.edu>
Reply-To: kearns@read.UUCP ()
Organization: Columbia University Department of Computer Science
Lines: 44


I would recommend AGAINST going with Zortech.  The product (1.07, the
latest version as far as I know) has some very serious bugs which 
generate incorrect code.  And the bugs are such that they can bite you
in very subtle ways.  

The best product I have found is the Glockespiel 1.2E1 version of the
AT&T translator.  This comes with the ImageSoft CommonView package, though
it is probably available elsewhere.  They also have a version 1.2E1/16m
which uses extended memory and thus allows much larger files to be
compiled.  Unfortunately this latter product sometimes bombs out, which
they proudly state in their documentation.  

Also, Glock 1.2e1 is built ontop of the microsoft C5.1 compiler (you must
have it to use 1.2e1, I believe).  This means it can be used with standard
libraries, which is not the case with Zortech.  

Personally, I cannot wait for the Turbo people to come out with a C++.  
Turbo C is #1, and I am sure that their C++ will also be topnotch.  

------------------------------------------

News Flash!
Lightspeed C Messes Up!

Think C, formerly Lightspeed C, is one of the best development environements
for C available on any machine (but it runs only on the Mac).  It features
lightening fast compiles and an integrated makefile/editor/compiler/debugging
environment.

The bad news is that they recently shipped an update with object oriented
features.  In fact, it is Yet Another Incompatible Scheme for OOP in C,
along the lines of C_Talk etc...  It is a real kludgy system where you
have to call a new() function to create an object, all objects are 
actually pointers or handles, and other grossness.  They tried to create
a system which you will be able to recompile with a C++ compiler and have 
it still work, but their object system has very little in common with C++.

I suppose they felt the need to be able to say their product is Object
Oriented.  But I suspect word will get out about the reality.  Now they
have sentenced themselves to supporting a kludgy system from here on out,
even when they finally implement C++.  Oh well.

-steve