C/C++ Visual C++ vs C++: Understanding the Difference

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Visual C++ is a Microsoft-specific Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that utilizes the same C++ syntax as other IDEs, but it is heavily tied to the Windows API, making it less suitable for multi-platform development. Users transitioning from standard C++ to Visual C++ may find significant differences, particularly when implementing graphical user interfaces (GUIs), which can complicate the programming process. While Visual C++ offers tools for GUI development, it requires additional learning and familiarity with the Win32 API. Alternative GUI development toolkits like GTK and Qt are available for those seeking more flexibility. For console applications, developers can use both Visual C++ and GCC, employing conditional macros for compatibility. Some users recommend opting for a simpler text editor over Visual C++ to avoid unnecessary complexity in development. For rapid application development (RAD), Delphi is suggested as a viable alternative unless specific low-level programming capabilities are needed.
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Umm guys, is visual c++ a very different programming language than c++. I mean, I installed a copy of visual c++ and looked at the pre-made template of hello world but saw that it is very different from the normal source code for c++.

I have this code made from devcpp, the calculator if you remember, and I want to implement some GUI and buttons but it seems that I need to do additional studying of visual c++ just to do this..is this right?
 
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Visual C++ is a term coined by Microsoft. Why you say you're using Visual C++ you're implying your using Win32 API. There are many other GUI development toolkits. GTk and QT are other options.

Unless you're confortable with command-line programming I don't suggest doing GUI programming. It gets complicated pretty quickly.
 
dduardo said:
Visual C++ is a term coined by Microsoft. Why you say you're using Visual C++ you're implying your using Win32 API.

I use Visual C++ and gcc to write console non-Win32-API C++ code. I use conditional macros to allow me to compile with either compiler.
 
robphy said:
I use Visual C++ and gcc to write console non-Win32-API C++ code. I use conditional macros to allow me to compile with either compiler.

do yourself a favor and get a programmer's text editor rather than adding all the cruft the VC++ adds to development.
 
C++ is a multi-platform languge. Visual C++ is microsoft's version of C++, and most of its libaries depend upon Windows API calls. Hence, it is no longer multi-platform.

In any event, Visual C++ is a IDE developed by Microsoft, but it indeed, has the same syntax as any other type of C++ IDE (such as Borland's). :-p

Take my advice and use Delphi for your RAD needs, unless you need extream flexibity or you need to get low level (and even delphi has an inline assembler)
 
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