Member Avatar for n.utiu

Hi! I am quite an active programmer. I work allot for school so i need a good IDE. I am currently working on Windows with Dev C++. Dev is quite a good compiler and editor but IMO the debugger...sucks.

So I would like to know your opinion on Dev, and maybe other IDE suggestions.

Thanks!

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by abdelhakeem

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Quick, practical guidance for someone who wants a small, reliable C++ IDE on Windows and—most importantly—a debugger that actually helps find bugs.

Consider these selection criteria before swapping editors:

  • Debugger quality: source-level stepping, variable watches, conditional breakpoints and thread support matter more than fancy UI.
  • Toolchain match: make sure the IDE uses the same compiler/debugger combo (GCC+GDB vs MSVC+PDB).
  • Build system: CMake or Make integration makes portability and multi-compiler testing much easier.
  • Responsiveness and footprint: startup time, memory use and disk size—important for older machines.
  • Extensibility: plugin/debugger front-ends and easy configuration for alternate toolchains.

If the debugger seems “broken” the most common causes are build flags, mismatched toolchain versions, or stale/stripped binaries. Practical checks to fix that:

  • Rebuild with debug symbols and no optimizations:
    g++ -g -O0 -std=c++17 -Wall -Wextra -c main.cpp
g++ -o myprog main.o
  • Confirm the debugger and compiler match (g++ --version and gdb --version).
  • Avoid stripping symbols and avoid high optimization when stepping through code (-O0 helps).
  • If an IDE uses MSVC toolchain you need PDB-compatible builds; gdb will not understand MSVC debug info.

Tie-ins to thread advice: ’s point about verifying behavior across compilers is important—make that reproducible by using a small CMake setup and at least one alternative toolchain. ’s performance/footprint concern is legitimate—try an IDE that separates the editor from the debugger so you can keep the editor light and run an external debugger when needed. Finally, if switching is on the table, pick an environment that makes it easy to point to a different gdb/cl.exe and rebuild quickly; that will save far more time than endlessly fighting a flaky debugger.

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Member Avatar for Ancient Dragon

Scrap that old IDE/compiler and get either free Code::Blocks/MinGW or VC++ 2008 Express. But if it's at school then you may not have a choice.

Member Avatar for mitrmkar

Dev is quite a good compiler and editor but IMO the debugger...sucks.

In that case you might want to try out VC++ 2008 Express.

Member Avatar for Frederick2

I have VS 2008 Pro but tend to use CodeBlocks for C++. Like all Microsoft software, VS has a very 'heavy' and 'slow' feel to it, i.e., massive gigabytes in installation, lots of hourglasses, slow to react, etc. I tend to use older equipment than most, so perhaps its not so bad with the very latest top end stuff. In my opinion Dev-Cpp is OK to start with. If you get serious about programming though, you'll tend to move on.

I think the download for Dev-Cpp is around 10MB. For CodeBlocks its around a hundred MB. Last summer I bought Visual Studio 2008 Pro and when I did the install I told it to install the works, including SQL Server 2005 Express, which was on the DVDs that came with it. The 'works' added about 18 gigabytes to my harddrive. Unbelievable for an old DOS hacker like me!

Member Avatar for CppBuilder2006

on my computer VC++ 2008 Express fills about 5 GB
Borland Developer Studio fills about 1.5 GB.
but VC is faster than IE8 for me.
I have Dev but use it only when I write portable code.

codeblock has good appearance but is fancy. I use it only for normalizing codes.

a good thing about VC when u copy the code & paste it in a rich text editor it's colorful. good when you write an educational article

for long programs I run all compilers & share the cpp files & test my programs in all of them. finding errors is easier in this way.

Dev cannot run step by step & does not have help. help is very crucial.

Member Avatar for mrnutty

There is also Eclipse.

Edited by mrnutty because: n/a
Member Avatar for Narue

>Dev is quite a good compiler and editor but IMO the debugger...sucks.
Yes, the debugger in Dev-C++ has a bit to be desired. It's actually just a graphical interface into gdb, and not a very good one.

>So I would like to know your opinion on Dev
I like it, but I fall back to separate debugging tools or alternative strategies from the integrated debugger. However, note that Dev-C++ is no longer in active development and hasn't been for several years. The longer you use it, the more you'll fall behind as compilers evolve.

>and maybe other IDE suggestions.
My favorite IDE is Visual Studio, and it's entirely because the debugger is pleasant to use.

>I have Dev but use it only when I write portable code.
You know that portable code can easily be written in Visual C++ and Borland C++, right? A good way to write portable code is:

  1. Know the line between standard and non-standard.
  2. Verify your assumptions by compiling on at least three different compilers (ideally on different platforms).

This brings together theory and practice, and because there are so many good free compilers and operating systems, it's no longer an expensive thing to do.

Member Avatar for n.utiu

I find Dev easy to use and lightweight. VC++ is actually to massive for me, I would like something not specially intended for large scale projects. I thought about Code:Blocks.

Member Avatar for n.utiu

THe conslusion
I must say I turned to Code::Blocks, and I actually like it very very much.
Tanke you very much for your help ! :D

Member Avatar for abdelhakeem

THe conslusion
I must say I turned to Code::Blocks, and I actually like it very very much.
Tanke you very much for your help ! :D

Yes Code::Blocks is my best FREE IDE Easy to use and Code-Styling plug in and more good plug-ins.

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