Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!radar!cadillac!vaughan From: vaughan@puma.cad.mcc.com (Paul Vaughan) Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++ Subject: Re: What C++ implementation is best for Sparcs? Message-ID: Date: 11 Mar 91 16:17:06 GMT References: <1195@usage.csd.unsw.oz.au> Sender: news@cadillac.CAD.MCC.COM Organization: MCC CAD Program, Austin, Texas Lines: 45 I tried to mail this, but the message was returned. Anyway, this gets asked often enough to warrant a posting. mackin@vast.eecs.unsw.oz (John Mackin) wrote What C++ implementation is best for Sparcs? . . . I was wondering what would be the best C++ system to use. I asked the biggest C++ guru I could find and he said: ``Buy the one from Sun, costs around $20K, includes C++-source-level debugger. Don't touch g++, they've broken the language.'' Being aware that gcc now compiles a superset of C (but hasn't broken the language as far as I know, as long as you don't use any of the superset features), I queried him about this, and he insisted that g++ was not just a superset, that what it compiled wasn't really C++ at all. Well, in a strict sense, that's true, but g++ is close enough. Note that Sun C++ is not really C++ (the current definition) either. I wouldn't worry about this issue so much. On the other hand, there are LOTS of other issues. gdb works with g++ (there is no gdb++), but not especially well. There are lots of little problems and gdb doesn't understand multiple inheritance yet. I'm not going to go into all the issues, because I don't have time. Basically, my advice is this: Now is not a good time to work with g++. If you won't really be doing much for 6 months, g++ 2.0 may be out by the time you need it and that may change things radically. So, if you can delay the decision I would do that. If you need it today, don't mess with g++. I don't mean to endorse Sun C++, but I suppose it's as good as anything. If you appreciate good debugging environments, you should consider Saber C++. I believe it includes a slightly modified version of Sun C++. Don't quote me on that, though. -- Paul Vaughan, MCC CAD Program | ARPA: vaughan@mcc.com | Phone: [512] 338-3639 Box 200195, Austin, TX 78720 | UUCP: ...!cs.utexas.edu!milano!cadillac!vaughan ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I spent from $3 to $10 today to pay interest on the national debt. How about you? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------