[dice]

right I have a few questions about C++ on the Mac...

I start learning C++ in college soon but on PCs , is it possible to practise on my mac at home? I notice there is a C++ "tool" in project builder can this be used or would I have to use the terminal or what. Can I make stand-alone applications that I can double click on?

Also is it possible for C++ apps on OSX to have a GUI or just the console?

sorry for the silly questions but I want to know


thanks for your time.

[Chuckit]

Yes, you can compile C++ on the Mac. You can use the "C++ Tool" template in Project Builder if you'd like. This will create a program that you'll have to run either through Project Builder's console or the Terminal.

If you don't want to use Project Builder, you can just write your code in a normal text file and compile it in the Terminal with gcc.

You can make normal GUI applications in C++, but AFAIK you'd have to go through Carbon, and that is much more of a headache than a beginner would want to go through.

[smeger]

You can edit & compile things in the terminal using, for example, 'vi main.cpp' and 'g++ main.cpp'

You can also use the C++ tool in Project Builder to create the same type of console program as you would from Terminal.

Or you can combine C++ code with calls to either/both the Carbon/Cocoa APIs to make GUI applications. It's very very easy to slap a rudimentary user interface onto a C++ program using Cocoa and Interface Builder - if you read through Apple's Currency Converter tutorial and you already know how to write C++, you're pretty much done.

[Gul Banana]

OS X is certainly a viable platform for learning C++, given that I'm doing just that at the moment.

[Detrius]

Also, it would be important to point out that C++ alone does NO GUI work at all. With C++, you can do command line programs. You would have to learn some separate API to do GUI programming. Thus, if you are learning C++ in a class, you will be just fine on OS X.

[HoOn]

Okay, I just bought my iBook this past weekend and when I try to compile something for C++ it says that "gcc: command not found". Do I need to install the GCC compiler? Can someone tell me where I should download or get the necessary packages. Thanks!

[dice]

cool thanks for the replies , you cleared up a lot of quiries.

Originally posted by HoOn:
Okay, I just bought my iBook this past weekend and when I try to compile something for C++ it says that "gcc: command not found". Do I need to install the GCC compiler? Can someone tell me where I should download or get the necessary packages. Thanks!

You have to install the Developer tools. I believe they are on one of the install CDs, in a folder somewhere. If not, you can download them from Apple. Be sure to have a fast Internet connection if you go that route.

[Detrius]

Originally posted by hayesk:


You have to install the Developer tools. I believe they are on one of the install CDs, in a folder somewhere. If not, you can download them from Apple. Be sure to have a fast Internet connection if you go that route.

I've heard that with new computers, the installer is in /Applications/Installers