Re: High quality resources for learning modern C?

Subject	Re: High quality resources for learning modern C?
Newsgroups	comp.lang.c
References	<7b9d7ea8-2525-4f97-a0fe-dcf9830d4848@googlegroups.com> <oguren$rfj$1@gioia.aioe.org> <VNCYA.153566$5t1.18148@fx43.am4> <ogv18g$si3$1@dont-email.me>
From	bartc <bc@freeuk.com>
Message-ID	<cHEYA.233627$MA.87193@fx05.am4> (permalink)
Organization	virginmedia.com
Date	2017-06-03 21:08 +0100

On 03/06/2017 20:08, jacobnavia wrote:
> Le 03/06/2017 à 19:59, bartc a écrit :
>> Visual Studio talks a lot about C++, and very little about C, to the 
>> extent that it's hard to be sure it supports the latter at all.
>>
>> I downloaded it a few weeks ago (as it was stipulated for building a 
>> particular app, which it failed to do as there were other dependencies 
>> that didn't work.).
>>
>> While I had it, I tried to get it to compile and run Hello World. 
>> Which I failed to do as well (within ten minutes messing about with it 
>> anyway).
> 
> If I do
> 
> cl hello.c
> 
> it will compile to hello.exe
> 
> Visual studio supports C, at least the C++ common subset, and some C99 
> features.
> 
> It needs to be run after starting the different .bat that setup the 
> environment variables.

Yes, the only version of MSVC I have (-2008 now on another machine) can 
only be run as CL via its special command window which sets up 
everything that is needed to be set up. The compiler is located 9 or 11 
levels deep in some directory structure so would be very awkward to find 
your way around (since at the level, you are typing at the right edge of 
the window).

But Visual Studio was mentioned. Otherwise I would have said the easiest 
access to a C compiler is from a terminal window on a Linux system where 
typing 'gcc hello.c' will usually work without any setup.

(These days there also online compilers, eg:

   http://rextester.com/l/c_online_compiler_gcc

which will compile and run whatever you type in. OK for very small 
programs.)

> This is the standard procedure since so many 
> years that I am amazed that you do not remember it.

I've used CL in the distance past (I may have actually paid for VC at 
some time) but don't remember any special setup.

> You can start it from the IDE in the Tools sections, that with a few 
> clicks puts you in a command line window where the path and other 
> variables are already set up.
> 
> Starting the IDE (1 click), going into the Tools menu bar (another 
> click) then the Visual studio command prompt (yet another click) and 
> there you are, in a nice command line window with black background and 
> white letters.
> 
> Are 3 clicks too much?
> 
> Apparently for you, yes.

> OK, ranting around is your favorite hobby but...

It's not ranting. It's pointing out things that a newcomer can also have 
trouble with. It you start a new source file, and type the hello, world 
code into it, then you find there is no button to compile it, and the 
run or build option on the pulldown menu is greyed out. (I don't have VS 
any more so can't remember the exact problems.)

This is why being able to build and run a Hello, World program first is 
important.

-- 
bart

Thread