Free MS Compiler FOUND at last =)

munch · Post by **munch** » 19 Nov 2005, 00:30

I've heard talk of a a free MS .Net C++ compiler on and off ever since I've been here, but it's never materialised... whenever anybody (like me) asked, nobody knew where to get it. Guess what? I've found it!

Here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/visualc/vctoolkit2003/

Direct from Microsoft =)

Here's the really good bit:

Are there any restrictions on how I use the Visual C++ Toolkit?

In general, no. You may use the Toolkit to build C++ -based applications, even commercial applications, and you may redistribute those applications in accordance with the terms of the End User License Agreement (EULA).

Cool huh? I discovered this whilst installing a free C++ IDE that I haven't used before: Code::Blocks, you can download it here:

I haven't had chance to play with it yet, so I don't know if it's any good - it looks pretty nice from what I've seen so far though.

Unfortunately I have a ton of work stuff to do at the moment, which is taking up most of my spare time (which is also why I hardly been playing Spring or reading the forums for the last couple of weeks), so I haven't got time to get the latest source and see if it builds, but hopefully this should open up Spring development to the many of us (like me) who don't have personal use of Visual Studio.

Somebody shout if they get it working =)

I'll go update the Wiki

Cheers

Munch

Dragon45 · Post by **Dragon45** » 19 Nov 2005, 00:41

Isn't that just the command-line util? If it is what I'm thinking it is, it's a pain in the ass to use because of all the information that you need to view. Using command lines for compiling anything as modern as Spring is ludicrous. You'd never be able to effectively code and debug with it.

[K.B.] Napalm Cobra · Post by **[K.B.] Napalm Cobra** » 19 Nov 2005, 01:05

Thats were codeblocks comes in, its an ide the comes with mingw most times but you can replace that with other command line compilers.

Slamoid · Post by **Slamoid** » 19 Nov 2005, 02:53

Can we get a step-by-step toolchain guide? I hate messing with huge mounds of libs...

[K.B.] Napalm Cobra · Post by **[K.B.] Napalm Cobra** » 19 Nov 2005, 03:15

Then just use mingw.

munch · Post by **munch** » 19 Nov 2005, 09:01

[K.B.] Napalm Cobra wrote:Then just use mingw. :P

You can't - that's the whole point of needing the free MS compiler. However Code::Blocks should work just the same regardless of what compiler you're using so it's really no big deal.

Like I say, I'm too busy to try this out myself at the mo (don't even have time to play Spring), but if somebody can get it building and post a set of instructions (preferably on the Wiki) that'd be great.

In particular, what MS libraries you need to d/l would be great to know.

Cheers

Munch

[K.B.] Napalm Cobra · Post by **[K.B.] Napalm Cobra** » 19 Nov 2005, 09:35

OpenGL and DevIL are used, but I can't think of anymore at the moment.

Post by **jcnossen** » 19 Nov 2005, 13:35

Well yesterday I succesfully ran a windows build of the linux port, somehow the FPS was ~1 even in the menu, but it works. If you wait a few days then Chris Han will have applied my patches and you can download the source, and build it on mingw for example.

Which libraries will you need for that?
-Boost thread/regex/filesystem
-OpenAL
-GLEW
-zlib + win32 api
-SDL
-DevIL

The linux build system is using SCons, so you can use that, or simply build all the files and link the ones who don't give conflicts

If you want to build either source on the VC Toolkit, you need the platform SDK as well.

EDIT: If you're not using my VS project file, make sure you define ZLIB_WINAPI through the compiler options otherwise it won't link.

AF · Post by AF » 19 Nov 2005, 17:50

Also, I used this free toolkit with the sdka dn codeblocks before I got my copy of VS .Net.

It will compile but it doesnt always mean ti will work how ti should do. TAI compiled but the engine always recieved 0 when ti asked for the itnerface version, instead of getting the nubmer it was coded tor eturn. This dissapeared when i started usign VS .Net

munch · Post by **munch** » 20 Nov 2005, 00:12

Yay - thanks Zaphod, and thanks for the tip Atlantai =)

Targ Collective · Post by **Targ Collective** » 20 Nov 2005, 14:00

Let me recommend Jedit as an excellent front-end for coders. It's everything you could hope for in a programmer's text editor, with syntax highlighting and auto-indentation and a lively and supportive community.

Best of all, it's free.

The Collective

renrutal · Post by **renrutal** » 21 Nov 2005, 03:10

Zaphod wrote:The linux build system is using SCons, so you can use that, or simply build all the files and link the ones who don't give conflicts

Are they still going with the SCons thing? I seriously hope it's dropped in favor of the Autotools, at least after they get the game compiling and running.

It's a bit suicidal to go all the other way against the rest of the community's way and not even having a Makefile.

I tried to compile it myself, but w/o success(Damn Freetype library).

Post by **jcnossen** » 21 Nov 2005, 12:56

I don't like SCons either, never managed to use it properly I guess...
but you know how things go, if you want a makefile/use autotools then do it yourself

I tried to compile it myself, but w/o success(Damn Freetype library).

Did it crash in freetype at startup? I had this at start, until I compiled the freetype (version 2.1.10) by myself and it worked.
Now I still have to find out why text rendering works so insanely slow...

Xon · Post by **Xon** » 27 Nov 2005, 13:36

[K.B.] Napalm Cobra wrote:Then just use mingw.

Or Visual Studio 2005 Express (C++ managed or native/C#/J#/VB).

Linky. Just Download the .img files, mount them with virtual CD software or burn them to CD and install off them. Thats all there is to it

You said ├óÔé¼┼ôfree for one year├óÔé¼┬Ø ├óÔé¼ÔÇØ what does that mean, exactly? Will you be charging for this later?
We originally announced pricing of Visual Studio Express at US$49. We are now offering Visual Studio Express for free, as a limited-in-time promotional offer, until November 6, 2006. Note that we are also offering SQL Server 2005 Express Edition as a free download, and that this offer is not limited to the same promotional pricing period as Visual Studio Express.

You have a year to download it for free, then it will cost something to actually get. Free copies will continue working forever even after the free copies are stopped being offered.

PauloMorfeo · Post by **PauloMorfeo** » 27 Nov 2005, 22:25

PauloMorfeo wrote:
jouninkomiko wrote:... Visual Studio Express. Give them a shot, they aren't bad.
They seem to be nice. I've used the Web Developer because i had WinXP Home, which does not have IIS and the Visual Studio Web Developer has a built in Web Server to test our pages.

However, i got a very bad impression from some other stuff... The SQL express(?) server, was continuously putting my CPU at peaks of some 40~50% performance every 3 secs. The Web Developer was handling wrong the Seession variable in my ASP pages.
I also had to install the .NET Framework 2.0 to install those.
I friend told me the problems were from the .NET 2.0 beta version and i really don't know but the truth is that my system got completely messed up. Borland C# even virtually stopped working...

I eventually formated my hard drive...
...

/me not installing Visual Studio Express ever again...

Veylon · Post by **Veylon** » 13 Dec 2005, 20:46

I'll try this. Maybe it will fix my STL problems...

AF · Post by AF » 13 Dec 2005, 20:49

Maybe you should try using GCC and the linux build? JCAI & NTAI are working, a third would be nice.

Spring RTS Engine

Free MS Compiler FOUND at last =)

Free MS Compiler FOUND at last =)