To quote the FAQ, 'No question is [...] too "newbie"'
What is the best way to set up an Windows system (vista, if that matters) to work with C++?
Preferably with a nice IDE, easy compiling of software (support for make files, etc.), but suitable for a beginner.
I would quite like the IDE to use a relatively portable format, such as makefiles and configure scripts, nothing too proprietary.
I would also like the ability to add new libraries etc. without much hassle, and work with the majority of C++ code others have written.
I am comfortable using the command line.
Thanks for the help, hopefully the question is clear. And apologies if it's already been answered, i did have a look for similar questions.
I know this is not exactly 'nothing to proprietary' but you should give a look at the free Express Edition of Visual C++. Under its covers you'll get all the familiar make and command line tools, but wrapped in a polished IDE.
If you're really comfortable with the command line then you can make an IDE from code editor on top of a compiler/debugger suite. MS's own command line tools come with the platform SDK (free) and you get an awesome debugger in Windbg. My personal favorite code editor is Code Insight. I wish so hard for a Mac version /sigh.
Microsoft's Visual Studio has a free express edition which contains pretty much everything you need to program c++.
For a Gui, the main choices are probably, MFC (old and ugly), CLR/.Net (new and confusing) or look at Qt(now LGPL) or wxWigets
There are quite a few good IDEs for C++ available on Windows.
The de-facto standard for professional software development is Microsoft's Visual Studio, which is available in different versions, like the free Express Editions. This will give you a great tool-chain for Windows development.
However, for a more "cross-platform" approach, you should have a look to the free Eclipse C++ Development Tooling, which is available for many platforms. As long as your own code is platform-independent, the whole project can be shared between Windows, Linux, Mac, etc.
Other alternatives are MinGW or CygWin that both allow to use the GCC toolchain on Windows.
Try the MinGW compiler, it will come with a C and C++ compiler, Make, etc--among many others. This can be used from the command line, pretty easily: g++ -o someprogram.exe somecode.cpp
As for an IDE, there are lots out there. Right now I am using Code::Blocks, and so far it's been really nice. As well, it already supports the GCC compiler, and sets many of the appropriate flags for you, so all you'll really need to do is hit the "build" button.
Some others you might want to try are Eclipse, which is really powerful, but lots of its "power" will be really confusing and difficult to use until you start getting used to it. Visual C++ is another one, which (obviously) would integrate very nicely into Windows. Of course, you could always use emacs :)
I suggest you evaluate CodeBlocks.
Microsoft's Visual Studio is powerful but rather proprietary. If you prefer open/portable stuff, I recommend Dev-C++ and Cygwin.
FWIW, I recently went through this and tried the VC++ Express and QT Creator based stuff. Coming from a linux/unix background I found that QT was a little better since it was using the Ming compilers and some make based constructs.
If you will only be hacking for windows I would go for Visual Studio. It will definitely save you time you can spend on coding instead. Most open source out there for windows either already have VC project, and if they don't it is usually very simple to set one up. And normally they have either make or nmake files for you to build VC compatible libararies to link with.
Related
I used to use gcc compiler on my unix machine. I am now forced to work on a windows machine. Is there any cool IDE or a simple editor for C with a unix terminal like feel (Black Screen and colored syntax on it :))
What other editors/IDE are as robust as gcc for windows? Also what is your personal favorite. I would like a try a few of the those before I stick with one.
Thanks.
Visual Studio. You can change the fonts & colors however you want. I have been using the same coloring scheme since Borland Turbo C++ back in the 80's -- yellow text on a dark blue background.
VIM or Emacs. Though I personally will never use anything other than VS :)
Cygwin is your friend. It gives you all the nice unixy stuff that you miss! :)
In terms of cool IDEs that will integrate nicely with gcc on Cygwin, you should try Netbeans, Eclipse (with CDT) - both require a decent JVM. If you do get Cygwin installed, there's xemacs and gvim I believe that you can get for it...
IMHO stick with Netbeans...
Zeus is a very nice programmer's editor. I just love it's Brief keyboard emulation.
IIRC DOS command prompt can change its color. Have you tried Cygwin and MinGW?
mingw is Minimum Gnu for Windows. There are several add on packages to it, but it has gcc and g++. Occasionally there is an issue with some tool not acting exactly right with executables having .exe on their end or / and \\ in output statements, but it's pretty decent. I can't remember, but I think that there may be some reason that you can't run gdb in Windows, but I could be wrong.
You can also get versions of most of the *nix text editors for Windows. gVim is available if you like vi or vim. Versions of vi and vim for the command line are also available, but don't always act right with resized windows. gVim and vim can do syntax highlighting if you tell them to in the configuration file.
The last couple of versions of Windows have had (or been able to freely download and install) PowerShell, which I suggest you get. It is different from a *nix shell in many many ways, but often (not always) you can get away with using it just like a *nix shell. If you use pipes in it you should know that it likes to turn everything into utf-16, though. The main good thing I've found when using it as a better DOS window is that you can resize the window more freely. You can still use old DOS windows, though.
Another alternative is cygwin, which besides just the command line tools, presents more of a *nix environment for your programs. It includes libraries that make things look more like you are running on Linux from your programs' point of view (simulating many Linux system calls, for instance). I used this a long time ago, but it had some pretty severe problems back then. I have heard great things about it since then, but I have not had enough of a reason to try it out again.
If you are used to a Unix-y feel and are looking for a text editor, I'd honestly avoid installing Visual Studio. It's a nice IDE, but it is very heavyweight and perhaps much more than you are asking for. That said, you might of course find that you like it, but be aware that you are potentially looking at a several-hundred-megabytes download, 2 gigs for the full package IIRC.
Netbeans is good too, but fairly heavy, and a little difficult to get set up correctly with C and C++, at least last time I tried. It's a good alternative to VS, though.
I'd go for a more lightweight solution, like Notepad++, vim for Windows, or my personal favourite, Geany - http://www.geany.org/
Getting the black background & colored syntax is possible on basically any advanced text editor/IDE nowadays.
As for the compiler, MinGW is probably your best bet. Or you could nick the compiler & toolset that comes with Visual Studio Express :)
Visual Studio will be your best bet. Others have mentioned the free Express version which will probably be sufficient for your needs. Visual Studio is not only an IDE, it has Microsoft's compiler bundled with it. Since the choice of IDEs is vast, I'll leave it to you to choose the one you'll be comfortable with.
The venerable GNU gcc compiler is also available on Windows using Cygwin or MinGW.
If you want something pretty cutting edge, compiler wise, you should check out clang. For various reasons, this is the C compiler to keep your eyes on. It's relatively new and was built with IDE support in mind.
When visual studio already being mentioned, I have to mention Slickedit, not a IDE but a fantastic editor.
http://www.slickedit.com
I recommend codelite - cross platform, free IDE designed for GNU toolchain.
Visual Studio 2010 has an express edition that's doanloadable for free.
link text
gcc via Cygwin is another awesome choice esp. if you want to use Emacs as your IDElink text.
Personally, I tend to use both. I heavily lean towards Visual Studio 2010, but occasionally compile using gcc to make sure that both compilers are working the same way. This used to be beneficial in the past (pre VS2010), but I haven't had much success in catching VS2010 make mistakes - yet.
In terms of the overall experience of integrated development, debugging etc., it's hard to beat VS2010.
Net beans
Code block
Dev c++
code lite are good IDE
I was reading today question on IDEs fo C++, and there are very good ones like Netbeans.
My question is about creating a software in C++ on Windows Environment, but let users install and run my software also on Linux and OSX.
Does netbeans has a compiler to do the job, or is there any good IDE which has a compiler for targeting my c++ code to these other environments?
thank you
QtCreator. It's awesome, slick and everything.
While it is not as feature rich as some competitors, it does many things just right that others don't.
I would say it is the one truly cross-platform IDE that is competitive to single-platform solutions. And it comes with tight integration of a very powerful and clean cross-platform toolkit. Something that you need for most cross-platform applications by itself.
I use Eclipse CDT and have had some degree of success. But I'm a Java programmer, so it's what I'm used to. It's worth checking out, and the extensions are quite cool.
Many people like Code::Blocks and it is cross-platform, with integrated debugging, code completion, etc. Qt Creator is also good and at least still very minimalistic.
Without a doubt VisualStudio with gnu make.
I've found Visual Studio to have the best IDE for C++. In addition, it's debugger and the way it handles multi-threaded applications is excellent.
And you can tweak the properties for your project to use different compilers and compiler flags of your choice, so it can build to any target.
You're talking about cross-compiling as GMan said, that's a compiler job, not IDE's and itu's kind of hard to make C++ software that runs well on Linux/Windows/MacOSX, C++ isn't a cross plataform language beacuse of its ABI, so you should try to use C++ standart code.
If you're making a consloe application there's no much problem just be care not to use system interface, but if you're planning to do some kind of graphics app then C++ it not the better choice for your purpose. Try some design that split the view from the controller/model of the app.
You can use QtCreator or NetBeans. First on C++ secord on Java. Both use MinGW g++.
Just a thought: you don't need to use a single IDE for all platforms. It is very common, for example, to use Visual Studio on Windows and Xcode on Mac OS X for cross-platform projects. I'm not familiar with Linux IDEs thought so couldn't recommend anything there.
Write makefiles for each OS? Simple enough seems to me.
Concerning cross plattform development it doesn't make a difference which IDE you use. Just make sure you use a cross platform (and possibly IDE independent) build system like SCons or cmake.
Currently I`m using Visual Studio for writing code in C++. But it seems so weighty that I decided to switch for another one, preferably free, not so strict to system resources (I mean memory, of course) as VS to learn libraries, such as Boost and Qt. What compiler do you suggest?
I'd suggest using Visual Studio's compiler from the command-line. You get the same high-quality compiler, without the resource-hogging IDE.
Although the IDE is pretty good too, and probably worth the resources it uses.
Code::blocks is exactly what you are after. You can can download it here: http://www.codeblocks.org/downloads/5
Choose the version with the mingw compiler bundled with it (Windows port of GCC). You can switch between that and the VC++ compiler as and when you like.
Code::Blocks has all the stuff you want, debugger integration, code completion, class browser, todo list etc. etc. It even import visual C++ projects.
Don't use Dev C++ which has already been recommended. It's very very old and outdated.
If you want to learn unix tools download and install cygwin It's a good set of tools but a full install takes up 5 or 6 gigs because so much is included.
There is always Digital Mars. Also, you can freely download Microsoft WDK
which comes with their C/C++ compiler and command-line build system.
You will be hard-pressed to find an IDE as capable as MS VS. It is incredibly feature-rich.
However, if you just want command line compiling and linking it can do that too.
GCC is also an option.
Please note that you do not need another compiler or IDE to use boost libraries. I wouldn't replace Visual Studio with any other IDE/compiler, at least not on Windows. Installing Cygwin or SUA (better than Cygwin, closer to the Windows Kernel) will only be a pain just for what you are trying to reach.
Try to minimize the memory usage by disabling unnecessary things, keep the amount of open source files small, use an alternative to document explorer to find help (your browser on msdn will do). Besides that, I wouldn't call a few ten megabytes of memory a high usage. As long as it doesn't slow your system down there is not a real issue.
A better idea would be to upgrade your computer rather than to replace something powerful with something that you don't know.
Seriously there is no real alternative to Ms's compiler on Windows. All the others are OK if you can't spring for Visual Studio or if you are just doing hobbyist work. Cygwin can be a pain to deal with.
If you don't want the IDE as someone else suggested just use the command-line compiler.
I've found VS to be quite good for doing Boost + Qt work. Especially if you have the Qt + VS integration tool. You get a GUI designer and respectable Qt project management tools.
If you are looking for a compiler that uses fewer system resources than the MS ones, you'll probably find that most modern compilers that are able to compile a good part of or almost everything in Boost will be quite heavy on system resources, both processor usage and memory consumption. To a certain extent that's just par for the course when it comes to C++.
That said, I do like to have a second compiler around if I'm writing portable code as it's a lot easier to iron out portability issues when you can ensure that the code compiles in different environments. If you want to do all that on Windows, may Cygwin is worth a look. However it does seem that the GCC you get with Cygwin is not exactly what you'd call up to date.
The aforementioned Digital Mars compilers are well worth a look, Walter Bright (the guy behind them) has been writing C++ compilers for a long time and they're pretty good. I have used them off and on since the early nineties and I've always been happy with them. Not to mention that they always seemed noticeably faster than the Microsoft offerings, but I haven't got any recent measurements to back that up.
At the end of the day, most third-party tool vendors on Windows tend to target the MS environment so if you're writing C++ code professionally and need/want tools like leak detectors, you pretty much need to be able to build with the MS compilers, even if they aren't your main development environment.
I sugget , Netbeans.org
NetBeans IDE , download the Cygwin , follow one tutorial from http://www.netbeans.org for C++ confuguration at Netbeans IDE , just 2 steps.. and u are ok
autocomplete (faster than VS')
classes
and all... you want xD
It needs to mention about DevCpp. It is a simple UI wrap for gcc compiler (oh my, it is sounds like a tautology). It provides lightweight IDE but not so stable (so, its IntelliSense is somewhat buggy).
If you use Qt why not use their IDE, QtCreator, there is compiler, debugger and GUI designer. All comes in one nice package and works on Windows, Mac and Linux.
In my opinion it's better than Code::Blocks (also based on MinGW/GCC).
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I'm aspiring to work in real-time 3D graphics. I work almost exclusively in C++, with a healthy smattering of win32. Realistically, do I have any sane alternatives?
You can use the MSVC compiler without the IDE. That's probably your best bet. It's a good compiler, and it is the de facto standard for Windows development.
There is definitely nothing wrong with ditching the IDE and simply using the compiler.
I believe the MSVC compiler can be used from the Code::Blocks IDE with no problems.
Alternatively, invoking the compiler from the command-line is a tried and true approach too.
Eclipse: http://www.eclipse.org/
Code::Blocks is pretty cool: http://www.codeblocks.org/
Depends...
Cygwin/Mingwin gives you a compiler. Qt or wxWidgets gives you a GUI toolkit that's easy to use and both are portable.
I agree with the question though. Visual Studio is a pig. Its debugger is pretty nice, but the rest is a pig to work with (particularly coming from a OSS background where the tools don't generally try to lock you in).
You could also look at nmake and calling the VC++ compiler tools directly from the command line.
We use VC++ as a compiler / linker but use Jam to drive the builds. The actual Visual Studio is only used as a debugger. The benefit is that once we set up Jam to build a project in Windows, it takes minimal effort (frequently none) to get it working for Unix.
The Zeus IDE works just fine as a MSVC alternative. It can even import MSVC project and solution files.
A bit late to the party, but I'd like to add that in 2018 there finally begins to show up a viable alternative that is good enough to promise emancipation from the monopoly of VS on Windows C++ development:
Sublime Text as editor, with the following plugins:
EasyClangComplete, a decent (like, just working) replacement for Intellisense;
[optionally] Clang Format, for much more flexible source formatting experience than MS would ever come up with;
Clang-cl as a wrapper around Clang compiler aimed for maximum MSVC compatibility.
Unfortunately, Microsoft Build Tools are still needed for standard library headers, but the download size is nothing compared to the whole VS behemoth. The upside is that Clang-cl picks them up automagically and Build Tools somehow don't mandate that you let their executables go online to sign in and activate your free license yet!
Setting this all up to a working configuration is a bit more complicated than slapping together a VS project/solution, but it's totally worth it. As a bonus, setting things up manually might give you a better understanding of what goes on under the hood of an IDE.
One thing to miss might be the superb VS debugger... Well, if you're ready to break habits, the open source x64dbg might come to the rescue, ability to view and step through source code via .pdb files included (and yes, Clang can generate them now!).
Update: As of 2019, a much better and future-proof alternative to EasyClangComplete is using Clangd via LSP plugin.
Absolutely, but it's just a lot easier to use Microsoft's IDE to develop for a Microsoft operating system. When in Rome...
Eclipse is a good alternative.
The Code::Blocks IDE comes with the MinGW C++ compiler and support for wxWidgits. The IDE is pretty minimalist which may or may not be what you are looking for - I really like it.
Dev-C++ I have found very useful, and free :)
Very possible, Qt is your friend. Qt Creator is in RC stage too so something to look forward to. Until then you can use it with something like Code::Blocks. Code::Blocks itself is a great environment alone, and also has a lot of support for wxWidgets. If you're just looking for an IDE change, as previously mentioned, Code::Blocks can use compilers from other IDE's as well.
-John
SlickEdit (or a number of other editors that support ctags or something similar) makes for a pretty decent 'IDE'.
You can use these editors with makefiles (or other build tools) to drive pretty much whatever compiler you want (MVCS, mingw, Comeau, Digital Mars, whatever).
A couple employers ago, that's exactly what we did. We used MS compilers driven by makefiles and the main editor used was SlickEdit. We used the Debugging Tools for Windows package for debugging (a lot of what we did was kernel-mode). Worked out pretty well.
Wascana Desktop Developer is a distribution of Eclipse CDT configured specifically for developing on Windows.
I would recommend giving Notepad++, MSBuild, and the Windows SDK a look over. You could also use XBuild, but that is more MONO specific. Mind you, MSBuild, and XBuild are just automation tools, so you'd be spending more time with Windows SDK.
I'm sure to receive a lot of flak for this, but I find C++Builder to be a much easier IDE/compiler to develop Windows C++ apps with than MSVC. It may not be the cheapest solution, or have all the same bells+whistles, or be the most language-compliant (its 32bit compiler does not support C++11 yet, but its 64bit compiler does), but you can't really beat its visual UI designer and 3rd party component market.
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What is the best C++ IDE or editor for using on Windows? I use Notepad++, but am missing IntelliSense from Visual Studio.
Um, that's because Visual Studio is the best IDE. Come back to the darkside.
I've found the latest release of NetBeans, which includes C/C++ support, to be excellent.
http://www.netbeans.org/features/cpp/index.html
I personally like Visual Studio combined with a third party add-in such as Visual Assist (http://www.wholetomato.com/). I've tried a few of the others and always ended up back with Visual Studio. Plus, Visual Studio is a widely used product in development industries, so having experience using it can only be a plus.
The Eclipse CDT works well for me. It supports MinGW and Cygwin as targets. It also integrates well with CVS and Subversion.
The latest build, Ganymede, is available here.
There are the free "Express" versions of Visual Studio. Given that you like Visual Studio and that the "Express" editions are free, there is no reason to use any other editor.
I vote for Visual Studio, but it seems that C++ is treated like second class citizen (not the compiler and stuff but IDE support) compared to .NET languages like C#, but hopefully MS will do something about it by the next version of Visual Studio (new standard is coming and they promised that 10 should be new 6).
VIsual studio is by far the best IDE but you can also take a look at Code::Blocks
I prefer to use Microsoft Visual C++ express on windows. Though the 2008 ide is fine, the 2005 express has better support for many of the open projects which you might want to participate in. It's a pain to compile Firefox or a half life 2 mod on 2008. Also as a general tip when looking for software, I like to search wikipedia for "comparison of " In this case you would search comparison of Integrated Development Environments.
Hope that was helpful.
If you are interested in doing Qt development, then Qt Creator works fine and is free.
I think the debugger in Visual Studio (Express) is the killer thing that prevents me from using another IDE.
Visual Studio + Visual Assist X (http://www.wholetomato.com/)
There are some features in an IDE that are so transformative that you don't know how you lived without them. Integrated help was one. IntelliSense-like functionality was another. VS 6.0's Debug and Continue was absolutely killer. Visual Studio kicked butt for quite a while. Not bad, given the awful NeXTstep rip-off it all started as. (Or is it that memories of NeXTstep has faded until VS seems okay?)
Sure, there are much better EDITORS that VS, but as a complete package for Win32 development nothing seems to come close.
There are free Express editions now, but they seem pretty crippled.
I am quite enjoying Eclipse under Linux (and derivatives of it on Windows used in some FPGA vendor toolchains). I -really- don't like the lack of integrated MSDN-style help, though.
I think it's basically down to those two choices.
Emacs. Xemacs works fine under Windows. For using it as an IDE, I recommend running it under Cygwin.
The Zeus editor has support for C/C++ and it also has a form of intellisensing.
It does its intellisensing using the tags information produced by ctags:
alt text http://www.zeusedit.com/images/_lookmain.jpg
Visual studio is the most up to date and probably "best" free ide. Dev C++ is a little dated, and mingw doesn't compile most of boost, (except regex). Most of the other compilers are dated and fading, like mars and borland. But you can use whatever you like!
One that hasn't been mentioned is CodeLite, a powerful open-source, cross platform IDE. It has code completion amongst other features.
I will quote myself from this question:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/780837/what-is-a-good-linux-ide-for-code-completion/917854#917854
Someone already said this before me,
but QtCreator is really good for Qt4
development.
Not only it has a really good code
completion support. It also knows a
little more about the code and what to
complete then I thought I needed. For
example it knows about slots/signals.
This means that connecting
slots/signals via code is much easier
then before.
The code editing is really nice. I
remember that when refactoring code,
(a few variables starting with
underscore) it remembered the cursor
position between lines and this made
the refactoring much easier. The code
indentation is smart enough to not get
in my way (KDevelop was configurable,
but QtCreator learns how I code. At
least it feels like it does).
Then there are the cool key
combinations. Most of the
functionality of the IDE can be
accessed using shortcuts. The
"control+k" thingie is a nice thing,
which some command line users would
like, but I am more GUI oriented. I
don't use it.
What I really like, is the split
window command. Yes, KDevelop3 does
it, but not as nice as QtCreator. My
favorite is control+e,3 which I use to
display the header and implementations
of my classes. Once again, the
navigation here is the best I have
seen (control+e,o).
It also has a nice SCM integration. I
usually use SVN, and quite frankly
it's not as good as I need: no
shortcut to diff the project, no diff
to commit the whole project, no option
to commit several files.
I also don't like the "total
integration of external tools". I
still like the external QtAssistant -
control+tab is easier to read large
articles. But.... when you define a
QString s, and 3 lines bellow you want
to read the interface of QString, you
put your cursor on "s" and press F1 -
the assistant comes as a sidebar with
QString's documentation. A huge
advantage.
Want to follow a definition? F2 to the
help. F4? Changes
header/implementation (yes, eclipse
does this better...).
The debugger is good. It's not as good
as VisualStudio but ... it has support
for Qt4 internals (you can see the
value of QString and QList!).
I can continue... but IMHO you will
need to give it a second and third
try. It really is a good product. Not
as flexible as Eclipse (hi
ryansstack), but it's a really small,
fast and young project. I stopped
developing QDevelop because I really
found what I was looking for.
ps: yes, I mean stopped developing
QDevelop. I was in the development
team.
My response is for Qt4 development only. Be warned.
SlickEdit is very cool, and does support something like intellisense. At my current company I now use Visual Studio, and I've mostly gotten used to it - but there are still some SlickEdit features I miss.
As a complete all-in one package, Visual Studio 2008 is the best IDE for C++ development with Windows
Visual studio is great, but there are few tricks you can enhance it with. SonicFileFinder is one - helps you to search source files by partial match. You can map solution-tree to Alt+1, partial filename search to alt+2, and properties-window to alt+3. These are the three most used windows.
Another great tool that is ofter misunderstood is ctrl+shift+F shortcut for searching file contents. People dont use because it's so slow, but my advice is - deal with it. Searching the whole solution (or even all files in project folder) is only slow the first time you use it. Consequitive searches are as fast as jump-to-definition-feature.
I've tried SlickEdit, Notepad++, emacs, jEdit and Visual Studio. VS wins hands-down for Best Windows IDE.
jEdit is probably the best GUI cross-platform editor/almost-IDE, and emacs is probably the best terminal cross-platform editor/almost-IDE. The advantage with using these is that when you jump to a Mac or Linux box, you know how they work.
I tried Eclipse, but it ran like a no-legged dog it was so slow, so I didn't use it much. Maybe tech is better now, but eh.
With Intellisense, code folding, edit and continue, and a whole host of other features, Visual Studio is certainly the best IDE. However, for simple code editing, I often use UltraEdit. It has some great features not found in Visual Studio. One surprisingly useful feature is being able to select a column in the editor. You can find and replace within the column (useful for tabs vs. spaces wars...) delete the column, etc...
How about CodeBlocks, i find it so fine with me, especially the new 10.05 version.
I would recommend C++Builder, from Embarcadero, for C++ work and there is also a free version available. If you prefer Visual Studio, download one of free express editions.
Here's another vote for Visual Studio. The debugger and Intellisense are definitely it's hallmarks. While other IDE's offer code-completion, I've often found them to be somewhat sluggish in this area for some reason (sluggish being a reference to the speed at which code-completion occurs and offers selections).
Other than VS, NetBeans is a good polished IDE and is updated on a very regular cycle.
I think it's largely a matter of taste, but I would recommend begginers to stick to a pure editor (vi, emacs...) instead of a full fledged IDE so they can figure out the whole toolchain that modern IDEs hide.
Just for the record, my weapon of choice is Emacs.
personally i dont like microsoft......I hate to admit that visual studio is the best IDE i ever use.....Netbeans is gud but drasticaly slow....other free IDEs are useless..
so people try to stick with VS....
M$ VS2008 is a better IDE for this.
The question says specifically IDE so I am guessing thats what you want. In that case, the main options are Visual Studio and Eclipse CDT as stated above. Of those, I personally prefer Eclipse. However, don't necessarily limit yourself to an IDE. I prefer to use vim as my editor and WinDbg as my debugger. For compilation, your project will probably dictate this. I currently use NMAke on the command line.
Use Visual Studio 2010. You can get the full version free with DreamSpark