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I have watched a video in which one of the director of scs software (who makes a EURO TRUCK SIMULATOR game) saying that the game is written entirely in C++, yet the game runs on Windows and Mac OS as well. How could they achieve it? Is it possible to run a C++ program on MAC OS?
Yes.
...OK, stack overflow wants at least 30 characters. OS X comes with the C++ compiler clang++, which is built on top of llvm. In fact, Apple stopped supplying a port of gcc some time ago, so developers either have to build it themselves or adapt to clang. According to Wikipedia, Apple itself develops clang.
It is possible, either to run gcc in terminal or to use Xcode to compile it, however you cannot then use Cocoa but alternatives such as Qt are available for mac.
Sure, there are C++ compilers for Mac OS X as well. One is even included in xcode (the standard development environment on a Mac).
But that does not mean, that you can compile just any C++ program on a Mac. It has to be designed to use libraries, that are available on both platforms (instead of MFC on Windows or Cocoa on the Mac). This is possible for example by using wxwidgets or QT. With these two libraries it is even possible to compile the program for Unix platforms like Linux as well.
Regardless of language a multi-platform program relies on some basic support parts that are implemented differently on each platform. With pure standard C++ this is the standard library and the runtime support, but in practice a game, say, will also rely on 3rd party libraries with platform specific implementations. So given that the platform itself is compatible with the basic platform assumptions of the C++ language, and the Mac is, achieving such portability is conceptually very straightforward, although difficult to get perfect.
As an example of a platform that's not entirely compatible with C++, Microsoft's .NET virtual machine is apparently so at odds with the ideas of C++ that Microsoft has found it necessary to define two different non-standard variants of C++ for it, and offers no way to produce GUI programs for it in pure standard C++. It's not impossible to use only standard C++ for .NET, and indeed one main reason to use C++ with .NET is to combine standard C++ parts with more .NET-y parts; it's just that using only standard C++ the code becomes complex, inefficient and generally impractical. For example, my first questions here on SO concerned how to do a simple .NET message box in standard C++ by way of COM technology as an intermediate layer, and that worked, but with a ridiculous amount of complex non-general support code.
As another example, using C++ in web pages is very much an impedance mismatch, so to speak. Again Microsoft is the main player who has attempted this, with their ActiveX technology. It turned out to be a good way ensure that PCs all over the world got infested with malware, because C++ is not the kind of language where it's easy to constrain what the code can do. As far as I know only Microsoft's own Internet Explorer browser ever supported ActiveX in web pages. And as of Windows 10 the IE browser is being phased out and replaced by the newer Edge browser, that does not support ActiveX in web pages.
I've been spending my "inbetween" time at the office looking into C++. I'm primarily a flash & web developer, also working on a bunch of flash games, but I thought it was time to have a look at some non-web-based languages and see if I could get some real games going.
I've got the hang of how typing works, arrays, outputting using cout, structs, classes and so on and so on.
I seem to have found myself stuck in terms of what I can do next. Outputting to a DOS window obviously isn't that exciting - how do I get started on doing something graphical? A square moving around on the screen, even. Simple is better in this case.
As for the compiler - I've been using devcpp by Bloodshed; is this adequate or am I missing a more common compiler somehow?
Graphics can be done using DirectX in Windows, or OpenGL on every platform. It's a whole different discussion upon which to choose.
In addition to trying to work with graphics, you could try your hand at developing GUIs. I'd give Qt a shot. Be warned though, Qt is being sold by Nokia, but it's overall a very well known and heavily used framework. Or try direct Win32 (not necessarily something I'd suggest unless you're interested). Or try WinForms (requires .NET experience, and steals from the true C++; C++/CLR is NOT the same C++ you are learning--it adds to it). If you do go the .NET route, avoid "Managed C++" examples, as they that was the first iteration of C++/CLR, and they simply redid it and vastly improved it.
Two most common compilers: gcc (Linux, Mac and Windows) and Visual Studio's for development on Windows', I always use Visual Studio (there is a free version called Visual Studio Express that is a solid product) for Windows development simply because I love the IDE.
For a compiler, my school uses g++, an excellent, free C++ compiler that is compatible with many IDEs for unix-based C++ development. If you're running a windows machine, you'll have to download cygwin (which emulates a linux shell) - you'll have to select which executables you want to download with the cygwin shell, figuring out what items you need may take a little time (basically, download useful looking things for the type of development that you want to do; g++/gcc are very important).
http://cygwin.com/install.html
When you have this, you can easily configure netbeans or eclipse (I've had better experience with netbeans) to compile and run your C++ code through cygwin.
Also, my favorite resource for learning C++ has been cplusplus.com - it has detailed tutorials of all of C/C++'s standard functions.
Hope this helps a little!
Have a look at graphics and windowing libraries. For windowing, as you seem to be on Windows, there's builtin stuff. For more general applicability I suggest having a look at Qt or Gtk.
For graphics, the fancy stuff is usually done in either DirectX (basically Windows only) or OpenGL (more portable).
Compilers: GCC is commonly used in the Unix/Linux world and also available on Windows through Cygwin. In the Windows world you'll also find Microsoft's MSVCC as it comes with their development tools. Btw., there are free dev tools from Microsoft as well, see their Visual Studio Express Editions.
Some tips:
Work through one or more good books. I recommend "Accelerated C++" and "Effective C++". These books will teach you real C++ programming.
If you're on Windows then I think you're better off using Visual Studio. The learning curve for C++ is steep enough already. If you simultaneously need to learn how to work with gcc and makefiles then you are likely to become overwhelmed.
Windows specific: for simple graphics I find WinAPI and GDI+ useful. They are relatively easy to learn and they are immediately available.
I've got my interpreter up and running - quite bug-free and stable for now - now I want to add some visual options to my language to play around.
What is a good GUI library easy to use and mainly easy to embed and "link" to my programming language?
What general rules do I have to follow?
I'm currently on XP with Microsoft Visual Studio 2010.
Depends on your language and it's properties. For example, if you can only expose C-style functions, then the default WinAPI supports this style. If you can do the whole C++ classes malarky, then you could do MFC, GDI+, WIC, etc.
Ultimately, if you want something easy to embed, it's simpler to write good embedding code than worry about what you're going to embed.
In various posts I have seen regarding UI Libraries QT and WxWidgets seem to be popular.
Look here for a list of features
Check out the fast light toolkit (FLTK) at http://fltk.org. From that website:
FLTK (pronounced "fulltick") is a cross-platform C++ GUI toolkit for UNIX®/Linux® (X11), Microsoft® Windows®, and MacOS® X. FLTK provides modern GUI functionality without the bloat and supports 3D graphics via OpenGL® and its built-in GLUT emulation.
This question already has answers here:
What is the difference between "VC++" and "C++"?
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Closed 9 years ago.
What is the difference between C++ and Visual C++?
I know that C++ has the portability and all, so if you know C++ how is it related to Visual C++? Is Visual C++ mostly for online apps? Would Visual Basic be better for desktop applications?
C++ is a standardized language. Visual C++ is a product that more or less implements that standard. You can write portable C++ using Visual C++, but you can also use Microsoft-only extensions that destroy your portability but enhance your productivity. This is a trade-off. You have to decide what appeals most to you.
I've maintained big desktop apps that were written in Visual C++, so that is perfectly feasible. From what I know of Visual Basic, the main advantage seems to be that the first part of the development cycle may be done faster than when using Visual C++, but as the complexity of a project increases, C++ programs tend to be more maintainable (If the programmers are striving for maintainability, that is).
C++ is a general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as a middle-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell Labs as an enhancement to the C programming language and originally named "C with Classes". It was renamed to C++ in 1983.
C++ is widely used in the software industry. Some of its application domains include systems software, application software, device drivers, embedded software, high-performance server and client applications, and entertainment software such as video games. Several groups provide both free and proprietary C++ compiler software, including the GNU Project, Microsoft, Intel, Borland and others.
Microsoft Visual C++ (often abbreviated as MSVC or VC++) is an integrated development environment (IDE) product from Microsoft for the C, C++, and C++/CLI programming languages. MSVC is proprietary software; it was originally a standalone product but later became a part of Visual Studio and made available in both trialware and freeware forms. It features tools for developing and debugging C++ code, especially code written for Windows API, DirectX and .NET Framework.
So the main difference between them is that they are different things. The former is a programming language, while the latter is a commercial integrated development environment (IDE).
C++ is a programming language and
Visual C++ is an IDE for developing with languages such as C and C++.
VC++ contains tools for, amongst others, developing against the .net framework and the Windows API.
C++ is a language and Visual C++ is a compiler for that language. Certainly, it (and every other compiler) introduces tiny modifications to the language, but the language recognized is mainly the same.
VC++ is not actually a language but is commonly referred to like one. When VC++ is referred to as a language, it usually means Microsoft's implementation of C++, which contains various knacks that do not exist in regular C++, such as the __super keyword. It is similar to the various GNU extensions to the C language that are implemented in GCC.
What is the difference between c++ and visaul c++?
Visual C++ is an IDE. There's also C++Builder from Embarcadero. (Used to be Borland.) There are also a few other C++ IDE's.
I know that c++ has the portability and all so if you know c++ how is it related to visual c++?
C++ is as portable as the libraries that you use in your C++ application. VC++ has some specialized libraries to use with Windows, so if you use those libraries in your C++ application, you're stuck with Windows. But a simple "Hello, World" application that just uses the console as output can be compiled on Windows, Linux, VMS, AS/400, Smartphones, FreeBSD, MS-DOS, CP80 and almost any other system for which you can find a C++ compiler.
Injteresting fact: at http://nethack.org/ you can download the C sourcecode for an almost antique game, where you have to walk through a bunch of mazes, kick some monsters around, find treasures and steal some valuable amulet and bring that amulet back out. (It's also a game where you can encounter your characters from previous, failed attempts to get that amulet. :-) The sourcecode of NetHack is a fine example of how portable C (C++) code can be.
Is visual c++ mostly for online apps?
No. But it can be used for online apps. Actually, C# is used more often for server-side web applications while C++ (VC++) is used for all kinds of (server) components that your application will be depending upon.
Would visual basic be better for desktop applications?
Or Embarcadero Delphi. Delphi and Basic are languages that are easier to learn than C++ and both have very good IDE's to develop GUI applications with. Unfortunately, Visual Basic is now running on .NET only, while there are still many developers who need to create WIN32 applications. Those developers often have to choose between Delphi or C++ or else convince management to move to .NET development.
Key differences:
C++ is a general-purpose programming language, but is developed from the originally C programming language. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup at Bell Labs starting in 1979. C++ was originally named C with Classes. It was renamed C++ in 1983.
Visual C++, on the other hand, is not a programming language at all. It is in fact a development environment. It is an “integrated development environment (IDE) product from Microsoft for the C, C++, and C++/CLI programming languages.” Microsoft Visual C++, also known as MSVC or VC++, is sold as part of the Microsoft Visual Studio app.
I work in a team of developers, one of us works specifically under Windows, and I work primarily in Mac OS X. We're wanting to develop C-based applications either in C++ or Objective-C however I'm not really knowledgeable in how to go about a cross-platform development project.
Is it viable to work in C++ using Mac OS X? Obviously they're geared towards Objective-C but is there just as much support for C++. What about cross-platform development in these languages? I'd use something like boost and some kind of UI library.
Has anyone got any experience in developing for multiple platforms yet allow applications to run natively without the need for a VM?
EDIT: There's a lot of answers I want to mark as correct now. It seems like Qt is the way to go and develop it in C++. Chances are this will be for *nix, OS X and Windows so that would be the best option for us personally. If I can avoid writing Objective-C so the team sticks to C++ then all the better. If I have to write the GUI in Objective-C and mix and match then that's not too much bother either.
I work for a software company that produces software for Mac OS X and Windows using C++, MFC, and Objective-C.
Yes, it is definitely possible.
You probably will be best served if you develop the "core" of the application in C++. In a MVC application, the C++ part would be the model, and possibly the controllers. For the code that interfaces to the GUI and other OS-specific interfaces, you should use the native APIs: Objective-C on Mac OS X and C# on Windows XP.
The good thing about the Mac is that you can compile C++ and Objective-C together. You can even have Objective-C++ where C++ and Objective-C are compiled in the same compilation unit. Unfortunately you cannot do this with C# (there is something called Managed C++ which is a different beast).
I would avoid cross-platform frameworks such as Qt and wxWidgets. They both allow you to develop cross-platform applications, but the look and feel of such applications is sub-par. I have more familiarity with wxWidgets though, its design is heavily geared towards the Windows MFC paradigm of application design.
Edit May 14, 2009, 9:44 AM EST: If Qt now allows true look and feel of the native platform, it could be a good option. I haven't looked at the latest offering so you may want to look at that framework before designing your own. That decision should be made after examining the results of the applications and how comfortable you are with the design paradigms that Qt requires.
You could look at Qt. I've used it successfully on Windows, Linux and Mac OSX projects.
what I use, is have a common library written in C or C++ with all the core functionality of your application.
Let's say you are building a solitaire game. So you will have core classes in a pure C++ (mostly platform independent) library.
CoreSolitaire
Then, you will have separate UI projects, one for each platform you want to deploy your solitaire on:
iSolitaire (Objective-C, MultiTouch Cocoa Based for iPhoneOS)
MacSolitaire (Objective-C, Cocoa Based for Mac OS X)
WinSolitaire (C++, Win32 or C# Based for Windows plaforms)
GSolitaire (C++, GNome/GTK based for linux/unix)
It's more work, but, in my opinion, the resulting product is definitely better than one you could get by using a platform independent widget set like QT or wxWidgets.
Having said this, if you are going to deploy your product internally in a company where you have full control of the deployment environment, and you don't care that much about how the resulting product will behave on different platforms, you could definitely use a common API for everything (QT, wxWidgets, or any other you might encounter).
Is it viable to work in C++ using Mac OS X? Obviously they're geared towards Objective-C but is there just as much support for C++.
Yes, there is.
You can do pretty much anything you want with C++ in OS X --anything that you could do with C++ on Linux, for example. There is support for the gcc's C++ compiler, c++ libraries, et all. Xcode provides support for working with C++.
You can even mix c++ with objective-C with Objective-C++ (Note, however, that this is not portable for GUI work).
What about cross-platform development in these languages? I'd use something like boost and some kind of UI library.
I believe that your best bet is QT.
It is a stable C++ library that is cross-platform (Windows, OSX, Linux and more), has been around for over a decade, is well supported, with many commercial apps written in it (Skype, Adobe Photoshop Album) and a ton of open source stuff written with it (the KDE desktop for starters). Besides GUI stuff it provides a whole lot more (container classes, xml, database connectivity, etc).
You can develop both Open Source and proprietary (closed source) apps for free with the latest QT, and the library was recently bought by NOKIA, a huge multinational, so it isn't going away any time soon.
Besides the library, QT also comes with an IDE and a Visual Forms Designer (all for free).
Other cross-platform GUI libraries for C++ also exist for OS X (wxWidgets, gtkmm, et al).
Has anyone got any experience in
developing for multiple platforms yet
allow applications to run natively
without the need for a VM?
Slightly. Make sure that you wrap around all the platform specific code.
That way you're main application or library doesn't need to reference the platform specific code. That should make it alot easier when porting to another platform.