John Gaughan wrote: > andrew clarke wrote: >> Nutty is writing modern software using a 20 year old compiler. >> Requiring your students to do this is cruel and unusual punishment. >> > > I am a fan of gcc/g++. It is free, about as standards-compliant as a > compiler can be in 2008, cross-platform, and is certainly not cruel and > unusual punishment. If gcc is not your thing, there are other compilers > out there that are free and easily accessible (VC++ Express is a good > example).
I consider command-line gcc/gdb cruel and unusual punishment for any beginning C/C++ programmer. I'm a pretty big fan of the IDE. The ability to step through code line-by-line _visually_ and hover the mouse over variables and seeing the values they contain while the program is running is an incredibly powerful and under-utilized teaching tool. VC++ Express has the best integrated debugger on the planet (beats gdb hands-down). -- Thomas Hruska CubicleSoft President Ph: 517-803-4197 *NEW* MyTaskFocus 1.1 Get on task. Stay on task. http://www.CubicleSoft.com/MyTaskFocus/
