Help Understanding VC++

[becool007]

Hey daniweb forums,
Okay so my question is, what is the difference between VC++ (visual C++) and C++ with any other IDE (or none at all). I know for a fact that VC++ is an IDE but according to some people that I have met. They say, stay away from .net framework. My questions are.

Why use Visual C++?
If using VC++ can we avoid .net ?
Why do people say stay away from .net?

Thanks :)

[pseudorandom21]

The most likely reason they don't like .NET is because of vendor dependence, namely .NET code only working on Windows.

The majority of the world uses Windows, and if you fear that may change, or you like Linux oh so much then you should steer clear of it.

[becool007]

Okay I couldnt really care less about any other operating system. But is that it? I mean, is there some special perk to Visual C++ ? For example, will Visual C++ make programs run better or slower or something like that. Basically, are there any performance differences? I know it will make my life easier.

[pseudorandom21]

Truthfully, my best advice to you is not make performance your #1 priority for every application.

Professional programmers, (and sometimes software engineers) will use the right tool for the job. That's what programming languages are, tools with which to solve problems. Native C++ (the ISO kind, not C++/CLI) is often used in performance-critical applications, and also is somewhat vendor independent. Many computer games are written with C++. Now having said that, it does have it's limitations, such as not having a standard way to create a Graphical User Interface. To create a GUI with native C++ will be different for Windows and for Linux. If you want to know more about C++ you can read the FAQ on Bjarne Stroustrup's (the creator of C++) website.

While C++ can be used for just about everything under the sun, and I do recommend you learn it if you intend to be a software engineer/developer/programmer--I myself would opt to use the RIGHT tool for the job.

Automating HTTP stuff is a real pain with C++, but the beauty of the beast is that there are so many libraries to assist with doing things like that (it's quite commonly used) it's almost a guarantee to find a library for doing many things from a quick google search.

Now I'm done ranting, but I want to say it is of utmost performance that you learn more than one programming language. .NET languages (like C# and C++/CLI) are Microsoft dependent, but allow you to make a GUI with point + click. .NET also has other benefits.

The primary benefits you will gain from learning C++ (which is no trivial task) are, in my opinion, performance, access to the operating system's powerful API, a large community that uses C++, vendor independence (mostly), and I should probably mention the C++ STL.

Another thing to consider when deciding on a programming language: it should be around in 2 years time.
Don't quote me on this, but in 2 years programmers will be saying "what's visual basic?"

Now to answer your question, the difference between VC++ and C++, is Microsoft calls C++/CLI VC++, and C++ C++.

Oh and generally C++/CLI will run slightly slower, but it has more features like garbage collection, and avoiding memory fragmentation.

[becool007]

Thanks :D Your post was really useful. So basically I shouldnt care too much about performance but of the right tool for the job. thanks :D