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Microsoft Visual C++ (also known as '''MSVC''') is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) product for the C , C++ , and C++/CLI Programming Language s engineered by Microsoft . It has tools for Developing and Debug ging C++ code, especially that written for the Microsoft Windows API , the DirectX API, and the Microsoft .NET Framework.


FEATURES

Visual C++ boasts advanced features such as Syntax Highlighting , IntelliSense (a coding autocompletion feature) and advanced debugging functionality. For example, it allows for remote debugging using a separate computer and allows debugging by stepping through code a line at a time. The "edit and continue" functionality allows changing the source code and rebuilding the program during program debugging, without restarting the debugged program.

The compile and build system feature, precompiled header files, "minimal rebuild" functionality and incremental link: these features significantly shorten turn-around time to edit, compile and link the program, especially for large software projects.


HISTORY

The predecessor to Visual C++ Professional Edition was called the Microsoft C/C++ Professional Development System. The equivalent to today's Standard Edition was known as Microsoft QuickC.

  • Visual C++ 1.0, which includes MFC 2.0, was the first version of Visual C++, released in 1993, available in both 16-bit and 32-bit versions, although it is also the next version of Microsoft C/C++ 7.0.

  • Visual C++ 1.5, which includes MFC 2.5, added OLE 2.0 and ODBC support to MFC. It was 16-bit only and it is the first version of Visual C++ that comes only on CD-ROM . It was important as the last version to support 16-bit software development.

  • Visual C++ 2.0, which includes MFC 3.0, was the first version to be 32-bit only, although Visual C++ 1.51 (an update to Visual C++ 1.5) was released at the same time as Visual C++ 2.0. Updates to this version included Visual C++ 2.1, released at the same time as Visual C++ 1.52, which is another update to Visual C++ 1.5, and 2.2.

  • Visual C++ 4.0, which includes MFC 4.0, was designed for Windows 95, as well as Windows NT. Updates to this version included Visual C++ 4.1 and Visual C++ 4.2, which no longer supports Win32s .

  • Visual C++ 5.0, which included MFC 4.21, was a major upgrade from 4.2.

  • Visual C++ 6.0, which includes MFC 6.0 (released in 1998), was (and still is) widely used for large and small projects.

  • Visual C++ .NET 2002, which includes MFC 7.0 (known also as Visual C++ 7.0), was released in 2002 with support for link time code generation and debugging runtime checks. This version also included managed extensions to the C++ language, as well as a new user interface (shared with Visual Basic and Visual C# ), which is a primary reason why Visual C++ 6.0 is still in wide use.

  • Visual C++ .NET 2003, which includes MFC 7.1 (known also as Visual C++ 7.1), was released in 2003 and was a major upgrade to Visual C++ .NET 2002.

  • Visual C++ 2005, which includes MFC 8.0 (known also as Visual C++ 8.0), which was released in November of 2005. This version also introduced support for the C++/CLI language. It is currently the latest release.



CURRENT EDITIONS

There are four versions of Visual C++ available:

Visual C++ is included in Visual Studio.

Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express is available as a free download at the MSDN site.


VISUAL C++ EXPRESS 2005

See Also: Visual C++ Express


This Microsoft Visual C++ (or Visual C++ 8.0) is available in two flavors: as a part of Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 , and as a standalone "Express Edition" product. Both should be available for MSDN subscribers and are released officially in October of 2005.

Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition is available from the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) web site as a free download.


64-BIT

Visual Studio 2005 Professional+ supports X64 , and Visual Studio 2005 Team System supports IA-64 . Before Visual C++ 2005 was released, programmers were supposed to get the Platform SDK if they wanted to write 64-bit programs. That included the 64-bit compilers and the 64-bit versions of the Visual C++ 6.0 libraries. If they want the 64-bit versions of the Visual C++ .NET 2003 libraries, they were supposed to contact libs7164@microsoft.com.


EXTERNAL LINKS



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