Defining strings in C++ causes a compiler error [duplicate] - c++

Question

It seems to me that gcc can deal with both c and c++ projects,so why is g++/gcc-c++ needed?
What's the difference between g++ and gcc-c++?

Answer 1

gcc will compile C source files as C and C++ source files as C++ if the file has an appropriate extension; however it will not link in the C++ library automatically.
g++ will automatically include the C++ library; by default it will also compile files with extensions that indicate they are C source as C++, instead of as C.
From http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Invoking-G_002b_002b.html#Invoking-G_002b_002b:
C++ source files conventionally use one of the suffixes .C, .cc, .cpp, .CPP, .c++, .cp, or .cxx; C++ header files often use .hh, .hpp, .H, or (for shared template code) .tcc; and preprocessed C++ files use the suffix .ii. GCC recognizes files with these names and compiles them as C++ programs even if you call the compiler the same way as for compiling C programs (usually with the name gcc).
However, the use of gcc does not add the C++ library. g++ is a program that calls GCC and treats .c, .h and .i files as C++ source files instead of C source files unless -x is used, and automatically specifies linking against the C++ library. This program is also useful when precompiling a C header file with a .h extension for use in C++ compilations.
For example, to compile a simple C++ program that writes to the std::cout stream, I can use either (MinGW on Windows):
g++ -o test.exe test.cpp
gcc -o test.exe test.cpp -lstdc++
But if I try:
gcc -o test.exe test.cpp
I get undefined references at link time.
And for the other difference, the following C program:
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
{
int* new;
int* p = malloc(sizeof(int));
*p = 42;
new = p;
printf("The answer: %d\n", *new);
return 0;
}
compiles and runs fine using:
gcc -o test.exe test.c
But gives several errors when compiled using:
g++ -o test.exe test.c
Errors:
test.c: In function 'int main()':
test.c:6:10: error: expected unqualified-id before 'new'
test.c:6:10: error: expected initializer before 'new'
test.c:7:32: error: invalid conversion from 'void*' to 'int*'
test.c:10:9: error: expected type-specifier before '=' token
test.c:10:11: error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment
test.c:12:36: error: expected type-specifier before ')' token

Answer 2

As far as I know, g++ uses the correct C++ linker options whereas gcc uses the C linker options (so you may get undefined references, etc.).