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Author Topic: Good bye, Pelles C! Hello, Pelles C!  (Read 3056 times)

lamer

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Good bye, Pelles C! Hello, Pelles C!
« on: September 12, 2009, 10:06:07 PM »
I love Pelles C.
I want it to be clear to everybody - I love Pelles C.
I think it is the most comfortable, practical and clever C IDE. I really enjoy to use it and to write with it.
With Pelles C 4.5.
I tried 5.0 - for several months. I tried 6.0 - for small period. Today I have come back to 4.5. Once and for all.
Of course, there are many improvements in each new version (may be), improvements, which are invisible for one not "low-level code" guy like me. From the other side, many features just become worse from version to version:
  • Missed recognition of hundreds API, especially those of windows, rectangles etc. If I write, for example, "MoveWin" or "SetRect" or any other beginning of those functions and press Ctrl+Space - nothing happens. Of course, mighty programmer should know all API names by heart, but what about guys with not so perfect memory?
  • Unicode forms of function names just have gone from IntelliSence.
  • Many prototypes are missing (e.g. iprtrmib.h) and therefore some of my projects just cannot be compiled.
  • Very strange behavior of compiled applications in different Windows versions (the same project without any change built with version 4.5 behaves absolutely equally in each Windows version).
The only my problem with 4.5 under Windows 7 is that dialog editor doesn't works (like under Vista, even if I choose XP compatibility mode). But I've found ResEdit and use it for dialogs editing.
So, good bye, Pelles C and hello, Pelles C!
And don't forget - I love Pelles C and will continue to love it.

Offline frankie

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Re: Good bye, Pelles C! Hello, Pelles C!
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2009, 07:28:46 AM »
You are right, in the improving process Pelle dropped, or just missed, some features.
I've been for long time a bare level programmer (see my toy OS), so I'm used to many advanced (or maybe tricky) coding like to write a kernel interrupt service module in 'C'.
Me too started to use this compiler becouse of the IDE quality and completeness.
But the point now is that all the efforts of Pelle are directed to improve the compiler itself (starting from V5.0), and also if, sadly, it is not so visible, I can assure you that this tool is now much, much, much efficient and powerfull of past (new register allocator and temporary variables storage optimations has made miracles!).
When Pelle will be satisfied with the compiler (and I think he can really be proud of it) maybe he will want go back to take some care of the IDE  ;D (I hope it will be very soon).
On the other hand I'm sure there are some problems with V6.0 to handle very low level code (I found some strange behaviours here and there in my code), but we have to understood that Pelle's work have to give him some revenue. So if his target is the compiler now we have to respect it, while always thanks to share for free his efforts, and wait for other details.
Anyway maybe we can use some old release for purpose. By the way be aware that in V4.5 there is a bug in the passing of small structure, if it fits 64 bits there can be garbage due to mishandling of EDX register (corrected in V5.0).
So .... Long life to PellesC  :D
It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not. - Andre Gide