This message does not attempt to solicit sales or any action other than sitting on your rear and reading. You are receiving this solicited newsletter, because you subscribed to it from http://www.neilstuff.com/ (the home of Neil's C++ Stuff). To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to news@neilstuff.com with "unsubscribe" as the subject or reply to this message with the request. Please specify if you want a specific address removed.
</PARA>
</SECTION>
<SECTION NAME="NEW STUFF">
<PARA>
I haven't sent out a newsletter in well nigh a whole year so I decided it was about time. This gives me the chance to remove all the dead e-mail addresses I've collected and piss off all the people that forgot they ever visited Neil's C++ Stuff! If you're one of those angry folk, just follow the instructions in the notice at the top and things will go just fine.
</PARA>
<PARA>
Most of the questions I receive are on how to accomplish something in C++. Usually, the question is accompanied by the inevitable "Can I do it in C++?". I've taken the time to answer this general question in case you ever thought of asking it. And I've also answered the ever popular "colored text" inquiry that I receive about four times a month.
</PARA>
<URL NAME="Colored Text in C++" HREF="http://www.neilstuff.com/index.php#coltext" />
<URL NAME="Can I do this in C++?" HREF="http://www.neilstuff.com/index.php#dothis" />
<PARA>
I've been experimenting with a new site engine and design, but I'm not willing to unveil it just yet. If it never happens then you won't be disappointed and if it does you'll all be pleasantly surprised. Actually, the new site engine will be used to publish my book (see below) online and in print, so it's pretty much a necessary evil.
</PARA>
</SECTION>
<SECTION NAME="NEIL'S GUIDE TO C++">
<PARA>
This, in case you haven't visited my site in a while, is a book that I started in October 2001. I plan to bring it into fruition around October 2002. If you want to receive an e-mail each time a new draft has been uploaded, send mail to "updates@neilstuff.com" with the request.
</PARA>
<URL NAME="Neil's Guide to C++" HREF="http://www.neilstuff.com/index.php?uq=cppbegguide" />
<PARA>
The primary goal of the book is to explain the C++ language and the concept of programming to anyone who has a good grasp of English and access to a computer. I don't like to think of the target audience as beginners so much as people who have a desire or need to learn the language or specific parts of it. It seems that too many people base professionalism on the amount of technical jargon they have deciphered, rather than their ability to do good in something. Even though I consider myself highly knowledgeable in C++, I still prefer an easy tutorial (as long as it's accurate) to any stuffy technical document.
</PARA>
<PARA>
Since the focus will be the language itself, it will not utilize high level concepts such as flow-charting, UML, OOP, etc. I believe that someone who has a good grasp of the language can apply it to these other things, but that when first learning it is unnecessary clutter. This isn't to say I plan to introduce bad coding habits, but rather to let the reader develop and hone their own. I give them the meat, but they make the meal.
</PARA>
</SECTION>
<SECTION NAME="C++ SOFTWARE">
<PARA>
There are some interesting developments in the arena of C++ Software. The ever-popular compilers DJGPP, Dev-C++ (this is MinGW damn it, Dev-C++ is just the name of the IDE!), and Visual C++ have some relatively new competition with OpenWatcom, Digital Mars, and Comeau.
As it states on the above web site: Open Watcom is a joint effort between SciTech Software, Sybase«, and a select team of developers, which will bring the Sybase Watcom C/C++ and Fortran compiler products to the Open Source community.
</PARA>
<PARA>
I think this one is the most interesting because it's a commercial compiler that's been proven and now it's going to be free to use. I never had the opportunity to use Watcom before (when it was popular), because of its price. But for the price of free, I'm willing to bite!
</PARA>
<URL NAME="Digital Mars C and C++ Compilers" HREF="http://www.digitalmars.com/" />
<PARA>
Digital Mars is a new compiler for C and C++ (and also 'D', a programming language designed by the same people) that touts extremely fast compilation times. It is built from scratch and the source is open to the public for VIEWING, but actual changes have to go through the main team. The whole thing sounds very interesting and seems to be promising. Hobbyists might be attracted because it can compile 16-bit DOS code! Professionals might be attracted because it can do 32-bit Windows code. But whether or not this project moves out of the BETA stage remains to be seen.
</PARA>
<PARA>
I was a little disappointed with my first impressions of Digital Mars, though I'm still trying it out. The installation is a snap since it's all in one zip file and you can add stuff you want later on. But the first program (a simple, obsolete tool I wrote at work) I tried to compile failed because the compiler didn't come with the import library for "ShellExecute()" (a Win32 function). I tried another and it compiled, but then bailed out part-way through running with the error "Floating-point support not loaded". Doh! Now, I know you can build your own import libraries and floating-point support is probably a compiler switch; but I really didn't have time to try this. Those of you who do have time will appreciate it more than those of us who need instant results.
</PARA>
<URL NAME="C++ Compilers from Comeau Computing" HREF="http://www.comeaucomputing.com/" />
<PARA>
I didn't try out the Comeau compiler except through their online form; on which I fibbed names and e-mail addresses, because I despise filling out those kinds of things just to try something new. The strict flag is annoying because it means the old standard headers with a ".h" extension aren't recognized. The consequences to newbies of the language could be horrific. I'm imagining the same troubles I had when first learning Java: all those books covering source code that didn't work with the new compilers. Hopefully that flag isn't on by default.
</PARA>
</SECTION>
<SECTION NAME="C++ RESOURCES">
<PARA>
I've been out of touch with the C++ resources on the web for a while and it seems many have sprung up in my absence. There are simply too many to cover here, but if you visit CProgramming.com, it has a directory containing a decent amount of useful C++ resources.
</PARA>
<URL NAME="CProgramming.com: C Directory" HREF="http://www.cprogramming.com/cgi-bin/cdir/Cdirectory.cgi" />
