# Free C++ compiler that can load MSDEV Projects? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-c-compiler-that-can-load-msdev-projects/155201 "2003-02-15T02:24:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-c-compiler-that-can-load-msdev-projects/155201/1 "2003-02-15T02:24:04Z")
MSVC++ 6.0 has been causing me major pain in its usage. I would really like to switch to some other Windows C++ gui compiler…the problem is I can’t find any that will load MSVC++ projects. Of course, they can load the actual .cpp file, but that doesn’t really help as all the dependencies are defined in the project file. The problem is that the free compilers I use go to crap when it comes to linking resources files, libraries, header includes, etc. So, I’d really like to just be able to load the project file as is, thus maintaining the necessary dependency relations. I’m trying Dev-C++ right now, but I just can’t configure it. ---
**Author:** ![Scruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Scruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruff)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-c-compiler-that-can-load-msdev-projects/155201/2 "2003-02-15T02:48:12Z")
I haven’t used MSVC++ 6, but you used to be able to export a project as a makefile (or nmake or something like that). That maintains the dependencies, albeit in a butt-ugly manner. Possibly another tool would have a chance of reading the makefile. Well, you might need an edit or two, but nothing major. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-c-compiler-that-can-load-msdev-projects/155201/3 "2003-02-15T02:59:01Z")
Okay, now I just need a good compiler…it seems DevC++ can’t import Makefiles. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-c-compiler-that-can-load-msdev-projects/155201/4 "2003-02-15T04:11:52Z")
People constantly complain that Visual C++ doesn’t follow the C++ standards. You may have a rockier time than you expect. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-c-compiler-that-can-load-msdev-projects/155201/5 "2003-02-15T04:36:44Z")
Actually, the problems I’m having are not with the coding; the interface itself crashes/hangs like every 5 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-c-compiler-that-can-load-msdev-projects/155201/6 "2003-02-15T05:27:40Z")
Being a hardcore VC6 programmer at times, and having many of them working under me on it for years and years, I would say that your experience is…out of the ordinary. Have you applied the most current service packs to it? Are you using some crappy third-party Active X things, like Sheridan or Farpoint? Or (shudder) zApp? I mean, what you describe seems to point to possibly a more fundamental problem then just VC6 being bad… 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-c-compiler-that-can-load-msdev-projects/155201/7 "2003-02-15T16:46:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anthracite \* > \*\*Being a hardcore VC6 programmer at times, and having many of them working under me on it for years and years, I would say that your experience is…out of the ordinary. > > Have you applied the most current service packs to it? Are you using some crappy third-party Active X things, like Sheridan or Farpoint? Or (shudder) zApp? I mean, what you describe seems to point to possibly a more fundamental problem then just VC6 being bad… 😕 \*\* Wow, zApp is still being sold? I worked with that about 10 years ago, well maybe 8, I can’t remember the exact year. But it was under Win 3.1 ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-c-compiler-that-can-load-msdev-projects/155201/8 "2003-02-15T17:50:45Z")
In truth its probably not VC6 itself. More likely my crappy Win98 installation…I mess around with windows so much its not even funny. I’ve got so much crap from re-installed/over-installed versions its more like Windows 9ME000 ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-c-compiler-that-can-load-msdev-projects/155201/9 "2003-02-15T19:50:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Khadaji \* > \*\*Wow, zApp is still being sold? I worked with that about 10 years ago, well maybe 8, I can’t remember the exact year. But it was under Win 3.1 \*\* Evidently – I’ve seen a couple of job postings that ask for zApp expertise, so people are still using it. ---
**Author:** ![Lagged2Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ac8455/32.png) [@Lagged2Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lagged2Death)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-c-compiler-that-can-load-msdev-projects/155201/10 "2003-02-16T17:04:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Trigonal Planar \* > \*\*In truth its probably not VC6 itself. More likely my crappy Win98 installation…I mess around with windows so much its not even funny. I’ve got so much crap from re-installed/over-installed versions its more like Windows 9ME000 \*\* I’ll just concur and amplify this point. I’ve used MSVC 6 for years on Windows NT and 2K with almost zero problems. But recently, my job has caused me to use it on Windows 98, and in this environment MSVC crashes a _lot_, usually requiring a reboot. Ick. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-c-compiler-that-can-load-msdev-projects/155201/11 "2003-02-22T14:30:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Khadaji \* > \*\*Wow, zApp is still being sold? I worked with that about 10 years ago, well maybe 8, I can’t remember the exact year. But it was under Win 3.1 \*\* I don’t know if it’s sold (it was bought by Roguewave), but I find it used a lot in old/legacy engineering apps of the 1990’s - you know, all those failed experiments about how “everything, everywhere will be massively cross-platform! Compile one piece of code that runs on everything from a VAX to a Mac to an Atari 2600! It’s the ‘way of the future’, don’t you know…” ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-c-compiler-that-can-load-msdev-projects/155201/12 "2003-02-22T16:06:32Z")
Windows 98 is a pretty awful OS. First time I installed 98SE on my machine, it lasted about three weeks before I went out and bought 2000. No significant problems since. If you want to have a more stable dev environment, back up your data, format the drive, and install Windows 2000. And then only install the software you absolutely need. ---
**Author:** ![Snetho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Snetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snetho)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-c-compiler-that-can-load-msdev-projects/155201/13 "2003-02-24T00:40:51Z")
Try [http://www.go-mono.com](http://www.go-mono.com), it’s really for .NET, but it may work…