Hello,

I have been programming in C/C++ and other languages in the past.
Borland C++, Windows Visual C++ console apps, Embedded controlers( Microchip MCC18), Visual Basic, others.

Can someone please advise me of an appropriate starting platform to create Windows applications (on XP and Vista) in C/C++ without spending months of reading before my first Hello world program.

I find most platform so criptic. MFC is non sense ! takes forever to learn.

All I want to do is to create windows, place text and graphic, communicate with serial port or USB, etc ...

Please avoid Microsoft tools. I am looking for open source, mainly.

I tried FreeBasic, it is nice but I prefer C.

I need a platform that won't take forever to learn.


Please help !

Hans

Your options are MS or Embarcadero (former Borland). C++ Builder is fairly easy to learn if you have already worked with RAD tools.

Builder's "VCL" is far easier than MFC, though then I don't think anyone develops new programs in MFC any longer. I haven't used Visual C++ .NET:ish, so I can't make a fair comparison vs Builder.

Main advantage with Builder is that it's decently backwards compatible. You can open projects made in 10 year old versions of the program without much fuss. Microsoft has a tendency to shoot down their whole product line now and then, forcing everyone to start over from the beginning, as they did with VB and Office etc.

The only negative thing with Borland/Embarcadero is that they have had the same annoying flaws for 15 years. You can't undo graphic changes, you can't color most components but have to "subclass" them manually, which is tedious. And so on. There are plenty of minor, but annoying flaws.

Thank ou very much for the suggestion.

I am not sure why you are connecting Microsoft with MFC. You can perfectly use the free Visual Studio Express to write pure Win32 code with no MFC.

Thank you for the info.

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