Re: [Boost-users] Using boost compiled with VC++ 8.0 on VC++ 6.0

From: Edward Diener (eddielee_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-08-14 19:46:13

Bronek Kozicki wrote:
> Kenneth Porter wrote:
>> On Monday, August 14, 2006 3:06 PM -0700 Michael Nicolella 
>> <boost_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>>
>>> I believe he said it doesn't include some functionality he needs...
>> Express lacks the GUI class libraries such as MFC. 
> 
> and this is one of its best points. MFC is poorly designed legacy library that 
> shouldn't be used for any new development.

I do not think the OP was talking about new development.

I totally agree with you and as a programmer I would not have used MFC 
even ten years ago given that Borland's VCL and C++ Builder were always 
so much better then. Unfortunately the C++ Windows programming world 
felt otherwise and their is a ton of legacy code in Windows using C++/MFC.

This was made worse by the fact that for the first four years of .net 
development the C++ implementation of .net was "mysteriously" broken ( 
see the loader lock bug ), which encouraged C++ .net programmers to 
continue to use MFC in Visual Studio 2002 and 2003 or switch to C#, the 
latter no doubt being MS's choice which may explain why C++ .net 
programming just "happened" to be broken.

Given that VC++ 6.0 is such a poorly compliant compiler, the only real 
choice for a VC++ 6.0 user using Boost libraries with MFC is either to 
use those libraries which still work with VC++ 6.0, pay MS the $200 or 
so upgrade dollars and get the standard edition of Visual Studio 2005 
which has MFC, or learn C++/CLI and use the free edition VC2005 Express 
and transform an MFC program to C++/CLI ( no mean task ). I have 
excluded getting Borland's latest C++ Builder offering since the C++ 
compliance of Borland for almost a half decade of doing nothing in their 
C++ compiler is pretty bad also, switching from MFC to the VCL is only a 
little less hard than switching from MFC to C++/CLI forms, and the price 
of the latest Borland C++ offering is even greater than the upgrade from 
VC++ 6 to VS2005.

If I were the OP I would pay MS their $200 or so upgrade price ( which 
is what I personally did for VS2005 largely to do C++/CLI .net 
programming ), and be done with programming with VC++ 6 forever.

Alternatively as you suggested he can use C++/CLI Windows Forms or just 
basic Win32 programming ( yuck ! ) with VC2005 express, but the former 
is much work if he would be transforming an MFC legacy application and 
the latter is tiresome.

In either case he would be able to use Boost with few problems, as VC8 
is an immensely better C++ compliant compiler than VC6.