Microsoft gives the visual studio compiler away for free, but no IDE. The compiler is worth $0 but the IDE is worth $500-$2000? The C++/C language itself is worth nothing with a full fledged compiler?
Are development languages and compilers useless to people these days when there is no IDE? I've always thought so (until I learned a few years ago how to use FPC at the command line using a text editor and a Tools menu).
I wonder why GCC thinks they have something special going giving the compiler away for free - I think they need an IDE more than a compiler! For the notepad/emacs zealots - good for you! For the command line zealots, good for you!
I have to admit though, I don't mind compiling some web programs at the command line or large projects using MAKE.. since sometimes the IDE can get in the way, and sometimes the IDE can be buggy and clunky for larger projects or even simple projects.
Download links
Free Microsoft Visual Studio Compiler
Other free compilers:
The Free Country website
Note: Microsoft changes their URL's often, so the above link might not be up to date.
Update
Now they even give a trimmed down IDE away for free:
I tried it half-seriously, but I still don't find the language or libraries better than what I'm currently using in my particular arena of software development. (why break what you are currently using it if it isn't broken). For me, I think it's better to focus on an infamous niche such as fpc/delphi development, since other languages/tools like Visual Studio are flooded with mounds and mounds of developers. It's also about taste and style.
|
