🚀 go-pugleaf

Michael Turk <ABMT@musica.macarthur.uws.EDU.AU> writes concerning
Microsoft's Visual C++:

>I just installed it and ran into a few problems that indicate that
>it may not be suitable for educational use

Spoken as a truly experienced and knowledgable MSVC user.  Exactly how
many hours have you logged with this product?


> - except for experienced programmers.
> [ comments about memory and disk space requirements deleted ]

How is the amount of storage in one's computer related to how experienced
a programmer she is?


>BUT, in my opinion any environment that cannot build and execute
>its own sample "HELLO WORLD"...

If you mean the GENERIC application, you've got a point.  However,
I've used MSVC with 4MB RAM and a <4MB swap file to compile some
simple applications.  One of these was actually a pretty complex
screen saver (as screen savers go), undoubtably more complex than
GENERIC.  I really don't know what's inside GENERIC that caused it
not to work, but I didn't take the time to figure it out.


>with obscure errors such as "LINKAGE ERROR 3";

I got "out of far heap space" or some such thing.  It had a standard
error number of the form XNNNN, and it was in the help.  I don't
imagine, however, that "LINKAGE ERROR 3" would be in there.  I gather
that you didn't get any satisfaction out of Bill's World?  (typical)


>that cannot run on a standard 486DX with 4M memory is not suitable
>as a teaching or learning tool except in a specialist environment.

It depends on what you want to learn.  If it's C++, you can probably
put something else together that'll do DOS programs.  But if you
want to learn Windows programming in any shape, form, or flavor, I
recommend MSVC highly.  It's tightly-integrated and relatively
bug-free (as far as I can tell).  I'd say this is one of Microsoft's
better products.

As to the question of computer resources:  If you really want to
make it easy to learn Windows programming, you may have to dish out
a few MB of RAM (oh, no! not that!).  Yes, people, you may actually
have to spend $150 or so, a full 10% of the system price, to add
another 4MB of RAM.  If the computer is dedicated to MSVC, it can
run on a 120MB HD.  (I've used MSVC on an 8MB RAM, 120MB HD system
along with a pluther of other apps.)


>If you are an instructor and considering putting Vis. C++ in your labs
>consider the extra memory and complexity.
Extra memory doesn't imply extra complexity.  You can write and compile
DOS programs just as simply with MSVC as with any other environment.
Windows development, however, is much easier than with Turbo C++.

Ugh!
-TimK
-- 
         Tim King           Saying without citing is not saying at all!
    timk@world.std.com
      timk@ycrdi.com
                   All original material Copyright 1993 J. Timothy King