Difference between C++ V5 & C.NET

[sjn78]

This is the story...Have only used VB to do any serious programming and now with studying, I am getting into C++.

 

I have found C++ to my liking and I don't want to go out and spend my money on C.NET..not just yet anyway.

 

I have a copy of C++ V5 and want to know if I start using that, will there be a huge jump when I move to C.NET. I know that the .NET Framework will have changed a lot of things in there, but is it basicallly the same.

 

I only ask this since VB6 and lower has changed a lot since going .NET.

 

Thanks for any suggestions or opinions

[Robby]

I thought you already had VS.NET, or is it that you only have VB.NET?

[wyrd]

It depends, are you planning on using non-managed C++? If the answer is yes, then the changes you're missing are just some IDE features;

 

Dynamic Help

Very nice intellisense

Resource editor

~95% (or something like that) ANSI compliant compiler

Better debugger (although mines broken :()

 

I've never used VC++ 5, but I don't recall VC++ 6 having these nice features (sure it had a debugger 'n stuff, but it's been improved). Perhaps someone can correct me. Whether or not you'll want to upgrade all depends on if you can live without some of those features.

 

Now if you plan on using C++ .NET, then you'll pretty much want to get VS .NET regardless.

[sjn78]

Thanks for the info.

 

I only experience I have with C is from the Uni course I am doing which so far is only creating programs that run in the DOS environment using Borland's C Compiler.

 

I thought if I used C++ V5 I would start to grasp the concept of OOP in this language (even though I am familar with VB.NET)

 

For example, when i moved from VB5&6 to VB.NET, I had to pretty much learn VB over again. EG, showing a form in early VB was as simple as:

 

form1.show

 

and now you have to declare an instance of the form in .NET

 

When going from say early verions of C++ to C.NET is the syntax the same? I don't want to waste my time using an early version if C.NET differs as VB.NET does with its earlier versions.

 

I hope you understand what I'm trying to say.

[Nerseus]

Well, the language itself is pretty much the same - nothing you'd really have to worry TOO much about (namespaces probably being the biggest addition that comes to mind).

 

When you talk about C++ in .NET, there are really two flavors: managed and unmanaged. If you go managed, you will end up using the .NET managed classes to do a lot of work, such as creating windows with an inherited Form class or using System.IO to do file handling. If you go with unmanaged C++, it will be much closer to the non-.NET C++ (like your version 5 of VS). You'll be using the API for all of that stuff.

 

So, the question should really be how you plan to use VC++. If you plan on doing unmanaged code, then you can go ahead and learn C++ v5 without too many worries. If you decide to switch to .NET later, you'll be in the same boat as everyone else, learning pretty much a whole new way of doing things (often easier though it may not seem that way at first).

 

-nerseus

[wyrd]

Well, the language itself is pretty much the same - nothing you'd really have to worry TOO much about (namespaces probably being the biggest addition that comes to mind).

 

C++ has always had namespaces. :confused:

[Nerseus]

I meant the new and updated namespaces, and they are aplenty :)

 

-Nerseus