# Recommend a Freeware C++ Compiler **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 1, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-freeware-c-compiler/306446 "2005-06-01T20:58:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-freeware-c-compiler/306446/1 "2005-06-01T20:58:43Z")
Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-freeware-c-compiler/306446/2 "2005-06-01T21:03:57Z")
It’d be nice to know what kind of platform you’re on. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-freeware-c-compiler/306446/3 "2005-06-01T21:06:02Z")
What platform? I use GNU on Solaris and LINUX, professionally. [http://gcc.gnu.org/](http://gcc.gnu.org/) 4.0.0 just came out, I haven’t gone to that version yet. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-freeware-c-compiler/306446/4 "2005-06-01T21:18:10Z")
Windows XP Home Edition (probably soon to be upgraded to Windows XP Professional). ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-freeware-c-compiler/306446/5 "2005-06-01T22:13:28Z")
Download [Cygwin](http://www.cygwin.com/) and make sure G++ and friends are amongst your packages. Alternatively, [Bloodshed Dev C++](http://www.bloodshed.net/) is a freeware Windows IDE. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-freeware-c-compiler/306446/6 "2005-06-01T23:04:49Z")
[Eclipse](http://www.eclipse.org/) is an IDE that uses Cygwin/G++ (which is GNU). I haven’t used it much, but looks pretty good. You have to download a plug-in for C++ though, I think it only does Java in it’s unplugged state. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-freeware-c-compiler/306446/7 "2005-06-02T00:46:19Z")
[Microsoft Visual C++ Express](http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/express/visualc/default.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-freeware-c-compiler/306446/8 "2005-06-02T01:15:57Z")
DJCPP is the Windows gcc clone. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-freeware-c-compiler/306446/9 "2005-06-02T01:51:47Z")
Borland has a free C++ compilier for windows. This is the command line compilier no fancy IDE for you unless you pay. [http://www.borland.com/products/downloads/download\_cbuilder.html#](http://www.borland.com/products/downloads/download_cbuilder.html#) [http://community.borland.com/article/0,1410,21205,00.html](http://community.borland.com/article/0,1410,21205,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![sewalk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@sewalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sewalk)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-freeware-c-compiler/306446/10 "2005-06-02T05:24:38Z")
> [@Mr2001](#): > > [Microsoft Visual C++ Express](http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/express/visualc/default.aspx) Let’s clarify that: Microsoft Visual C++ Express _Beta 2_ is free. The release version is expected to cost $49. Finally, Microsoft is releasing tools for hobbyists, just as I prepare to dump the last vestiges of Windows on my systems and go full-on Debian. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-freeware-c-compiler/306446/11 "2005-06-02T06:13:08Z")
> [@sewalk](#): > > Let’s clarify that: > Microsoft Visual C++ Express _Beta 2_ is free. The release version is expected to cost $49. So, MS is _giving away_ unfinished software as opposed to selling it now? Color me surprised. Anyway, gcc is probably a lot more stable than one of MS’s beta releases. > [@Shalmanese](#): > > DJCPP is the Windows gcc clone. First, you mean [DJGPP](http://www.delorie.com/djgpp/), and second, it’s a port, not a clone. (A port is getting the code to work on a new system, a clone is a full-fledged rewrite.) ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-freeware-c-compiler/306446/12 "2005-06-02T06:15:55Z")
I would recommend gcc running under cygwin (if Windows.) It’s easy to get set up and lots of people use it. I tried DJCPP once ages ago and it seemed okayish so long as you didn’t intend to make anything beyond console apps. Real GCC has struck me as being more stable. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2005, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-freeware-c-compiler/306446/13 "2005-06-02T07:56:06Z")
> [@sewalk](#): > > Let’s clarify that: > Microsoft Visual C++ Express _Beta 2_ is free. The release version is expected to cost $49. Finally, Microsoft is releasing tools for hobbyists, just as I prepare to dump the last vestiges of Windows on my systems and go full-on Debian. :mad: Beta 2 will work until May 2006, and I believe the command-line compiler itself is part of the free SDK, so you can keep using it even if you don’t want to pay for the IDE. > [@Derleth](#): > > Anyway, gcc is probably a lot more stable than one of MS’s beta releases. I haven’t tried Beta 2, but Beta 1 was pretty stable in my experience. And if you use VC++, you can use Windows Forms, which you might find more pleasant for developing GUI apps than whatever you’d use with GCC (GTK or plain Win32 API, I guess).