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From: shankar@hpclscu.HP.COM (Shankar Unni)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: Which C++ compiler?
Message-ID: <58170037@hpclscu.HP.COM>
Date: 15 Nov 90 02:18:17 GMT
References: <1990Nov2.164530.1862@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Calif. Language Lab
Lines: 36

> Demangling names is just the tip of the iceberg.  When you look at a C++
> debugger, ask your vender these questions:
> 
>     - Can the debugger print the dynamic types of pointers and references?
>     - Can it set breakpoints and/or step through:
>         - inline functions?
>         - virtual functions, including pure virtual functions?
>         - member initialization lists?
>     - Can it display all the members of an object, including those that are
>       inherited?  
>     - Can it display members of an object when those members are inherited
>       from a virtual base class?
> 
> For what it's worth, the only debugger that I know of that can do all these
> things is the HP C++ debugger, and I'm not even sure that the version that
> does all this stuff is available to customers yet.  Information on the HP
> C++ debugger can be found in the paper, "C++ Symbolic Debugging," presented
> in September at C++ at Work-'90, pp. 109--120.

The version of HP C++ released earlier this year (Summer) does all this.
The version coming out with the upcoming release of our 2.1-based HPC++
will also have some support for nested types.

One caveat, though: support for inline functions that are actually inlined
is somewhat poor - to get the fullest benefit, the compilation units where
you want to do such debugging should be compiled with "+d". Future versions
may have "real" support for truly-inlined functions.
-----
Shankar Unni                                   E-Mail: 
Hewlett-Packard California Language Lab.     Internet: shankar@hpda.hp.com
Phone : (408) 447-5797                           UUCP: ...!hplabs!hpda!shankar

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