Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!caesar.cs.montana.edu!ogicse!emory!stiatl!jer
From: jer@stiatl.UUCP (John Ramspott)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Lattice C++
Keywords: C++, Lattice, compiler, major investment
Message-ID: <8338@stiatl.UUCP>
Date: 22 Dec 89 15:37:19 GMT
References: <2539@sun-barr.EBay.Sun.COM>
Reply-To: jer@stiatl.UUCP (John Ramspott)
Organization: Sales Technologies Inc., "The Little Shop of Horrors..."
Lines: 31

The Lattice C++ front end is a true AT&T implementation, although is not yet
up to 2.0. Like AT&T's implementation, it is a translator that converts the
C++ into C and compiles it with the C compiler. When you buy C++, you get
enough of the 4.0 C compiler to use it, but you may definitely use it with the
5.x C compiler (which is what I do).
	When I got my review copy back around February, I had to pay $50 to
keep it since Lattice pays that much per copy to AT&T as a licensing fee. It is
a true AT&T translator, which makes me feel comfortable since Bjarne Stroustrup
is authoring C++ for AT&T. This implementation is the recommended method for
C++. While this method is slower than a full compiler, it is "the spec".
    I also like the fact that I can upgrade the C compiler portion at will,
without having to worry about whether or not Lattice will upgrade its C++
compiler. I can take full advantage of bug fixes and new features of the
frequently updated Lattice C compiler, which I also use by itself a good bit.
    I have had little trouble using it. It seems to be a full, robust 
implemention. I believe I have managed to excercise most of the major features
of the C++ language (prior to 2.0) with it. The biggest difficulty is debugging
it since CPR only can deal with the intermediate C code. Sometimes the 
connection between the C and C++ is obvious, other times I have a hard time
with it. I hope that they come out with a CPR that can work directly with
my C++ source.
    My only problem with it is that it is slow to translate -- no disk access,
it appears to have to "think" real hard about things. Knowing the way Lattice
updates things, I am sure that the 2.0 features will put in an appearance. By
the way, Lattice provides some neat classes for doing things with Intuition
and other aspects of the AMiga OS.
-- 
John Ramspott						gatech!stiatl!jer
Sales Technologies, Inc
3399 Peachtree Rd, NE
Atlanta, GA  (404) 841-4000