Dear Tim,

I am trying to learn C, but I can't find where to buy a C++ compiler. What is the best place to get a C++ compiler for Windows.

-- Michael

Ron Petrusha, our Windows programming books editor, will answer this one:

Hello, Michael,

It's somewhat difficult to answer your question about a C++ compiler for Windows without knowing in a bit more detail what you want to do.

The compiler with the largest market share, as well as the compiler that incorporates the latest changes in Windows programming technology, is Microsoft Visual C++. It's available either as a standalone product or as one of the components of Visual Studio, which also includes Visual Basic, Visual J++, Visual Interdev, and Visual FoxPro.

But if your primary interest is learning either generic C programming, generic C++ programming, or C++ programming for Windows with Microsoft Foundation Classes, then probably the best thing to buy is Learn Visual C++ Now, a book/CD-ROM published by Microsoft Press for $39.95. It includes an adequate tutorial, along with a modified version of Microsoft Visual C++. As I recall, the "compiler" generates in-memory executables, but does not allow you to generate an executable file. In any case, you can use it both to learn C++ and to decide whether you want to buy the production version of Visual C++. At the same time, though, if this is what you're interested in doing, there are a number of other compilers that are available, both commercial and shareware/freeware.

If you're interested in programming using some of the more current Windows technologies based around COM and ActiveX, though, Learn Visual C++ Now won't help you, since it includes an older version of VC++. In that case, the only compiler that I would seriously consider is Microsoft Visual C++.

I hope that this helps to answer some of your questions.

--Ron

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