OS/2 C/C++ Compilers
A quick list of OS/2 C/C++ compilers with some pros and cons:
Borland C++ 2.0
- + very nice IDE
- + very good Resource Workshop (dialog editor etc.)
- + fast compiler
- + good documentation
- - seriously outdated
- - generates poor code
- - completely unsupported
- - not free and no longer sold
IBM VisualAge C++ 3.08
- + very solid if somewhat quirky compiler
- + excellent PM debugger
- + well supported in IBM sample code etc.
- + excellent documentation
- - rather outdated
- - completely unsupported
- - not free and no longer sold
IBM VisualAge C++ 3.65
- + better and more uptodate C compiler than 3.08 (long long support)
- + excellent PM debugger
- + very solid compiler
- + very good documentation
- - which is implemented via a terrible help system
- - outdated C++ support
- - completely unsupported
- - not free and no longer sold
IBM VisualAge C++ 4.0
- + modern C++ compiler
- - so different that it's useless for many projects
- - unsupported and never quite finished
- - not free and no longer sold
Innotek gcc 3.x
- + free
- + most updtodate C and C++ compiler
- + the best choice for porting POSIX/UNIX code
- + actively worked on
- - no IDE
- - doesn't come with a debugger
- - poor to nonexistent documentation
- - very slow compared to others (especially for C++)
Open Watcom C/C++ 1.3
- + free
- + very fast and capable C compiler
- + supports 16-bit development (device drivers)
- + actively worked on
- + comes with IDE, debugger, profiler etc.
- + excellent cross platform capability (DOS, Windows, OS/2 in one package)
- + C++ compiler more uptodate than IBM's
- - C++ compiler less uptodate than gcc 3.x
Thanks to Michal Necasek for this list.
Last Modified: 30 Mar 2005
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Copyright 2005 by Blonde Guy
