Well, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to write and complete (at least a working version of) my roguelike. I also stated that it was the one resolution that might not come to be. However, I took it upon myself to multi-class in XUL and C++ (a little D&D humor, if you know what I mean). I began last Wednesday, and I had a great time learning. However, when compiling my code one day, I ran into a problem. The compiler I was using didn’t support one of the libraries I wanted to use. So, I thought I could just go online and grab a newer compiler. So I thought…

The compiler I was using was the same one I used a while back when I wanted to learn C (I’m still not sure why I wanted to learn C, but it doesn’t really matter any more), Dev C++. So I unsinstalled that and grabbed the next one on the list; it was a command line compiler, named Borland C++ Compiler. I don’t really enjoy using command line programs, so I moved to the next one on the list. Out of 13 compilers I tried, 7 were command line, 3 were outdated (I mean Windows 95 outdated), 2 were either huge programs or shareware, and one was Microsoft.

Ah, the joy of using Microsoft products. The “compiler” is called Visual C++ 2008. I downloaded the program (at only 2mb or so I was very content that Microsoft had a small program). However, when I ran it, it started a download for an 87mb program. The download went at a blazing 10kbps, and after about three hours I had my program. I loaded up my source (remember, the one that couldn’t compile on Dev C++?) and I looked for the “compile” button. It was nowhere to be found. So, I gladly dived into the help files, and found something more worthless than a non-grounded anti-static wristband. Each section had a “helpful” link to another section. This ended up being me clicking on over 15 links, and never actually finding any help at all! I also looked online, but no one else seemed to have any trouble. I looked for a forum, but found none, and the online help files were about more complicated topics than what I was looking for (compiling PHP, etc.). I promptly uninstalled the 100+mb crap from my computer.

About this time I remembered asking about a good C compiler on the Agora. Turns out that’s where I found out about Dev C++ (also a C compiler). However, I found a very helpful tip from Cidolfas: Edit Plus. Edit Plus is a text editor constructed for HTML, C/C++, Perl, etc. However, you can add your own User Tool (up to 10, I believe), which can include a command line compiler! Once you configure it (took me a while) all you have to do is press Ctrl+1 and it compiles. The best part, however, is that Edit Plus captures the output from the compiler, so any error messages are displayed in the Editor itself. I redownloaded Borland C++, configured it, and now I’m compiling like a madman. I’ve also added another user tool that let’s me run the .exe of the source I’m editing by pressing Ctrl+2.

All in all, finding a decent Windows-based compiler was a huge deal. However, Edit Plus solved that problem for me. If you don’t have it, grab it now, you’ll be glad you did later (also for those HTMLers out there, EP has a browser function that allows you to preview your files while you’re working on them). I know this might sound like a commercial for Edit Plus, and it really is. The program is great, the support is even better (they wrote me back within 12 hours), and it’s better than any Microsoft crap. If you’re looking for a good C++ compiler, grab Borland C++ and Edit Plus, it’s so very easy.