dev-cpp questions and directx book recommendations?

[michaelp]

Okay, I have 2 questions to ask you guys.

1. I know that Dev-Cpp is not getting updated anymore, but I am still using it because I tried to set up DX with Code::Blocks, and I could not get it working. I DID get it working with Dev-Cpp which I am why I am still using it.
My question, is that since Dev-Cpp using MinGW/Gcc compiler, could I download the latest version of MinGW and the C++ compiler part of it, then replace all of the files in my Dev-Cpp directory, so it would be updated?

2. I'm about to learn DirectX, does anyone know any good book recommendations for learning DirectX 9? And is "Beginning DirectX 9" a good book for learning it?

Thanks.
-michaelp

[Mazer]

I've never learned DirectX, but is there any reason you don't want to learn XNA instead?

[md]

I do not know how dev-cpp works; and I have never heard of Code::Blocks (unless you mean namespaces or classes or some such). However, if it's supported by G++ then installing a newer version should work fine.

I recommend ditching Dev-Cpp anyways, as it was NEVER good. A good text editor with syntax highlighting and tabs and a command line is much better.

[michaelp]

Code::Blocks

I don't see what's so bad about Dev-Cpp; mind filling me in?

And I'm not really sure what XNA is...

[rdrake]

Microsoft's answer to hobbyists wanting to create games is the XNA Game Studio.

Dev-C++ really isn't that great of an IDE. Why? Try some others and you'll see why. If you chose to check out XNA, you'll be using Visual Studio Express anyways.

[michaelp]

I've tried Code::Blocks as an IDE. Would have kept using it except I couldn't get DirectX working with it. Wasn't anything that was particularly better than Dev-Cpp. Also tried wxDev-Cpp, didn't like that too much, so went back to Dev-Cpp.

The only other IDE's I have heard of are those Microsoft ones, which I haven't heard good review of. Except for one, which was supposed to be okay.

[md]

Visual Studio is an amazing IDE. Microsoft was first and for most a programming language company; and their tools are (usually) excellent. Aside from Visual Studio 6, Visual Studio is the best IDE I have ever used.

Code::Blocks looks like it might be interesting too; but your choice of IDE should have absolutely nothing to do with getting your program working. If there are any differences it would be in how the IDE finds dependencies for you, such as libraries to link against. That can easily be fixed by using makefiles.

I've actually recently started using Anjuta; but I haven't used it enough to make any judgments about it.

[michaelp]

I'm still gonna use Dev-Cpp; it compiles and runs my programs, I have DirectX set-up with it, and I can always update it with the lastest version of the MinGW compiler.

Anyways, does anyone know of any good DirectX books?

[md]

MSDN. You can't beat Microsoft's own documentation (or you couldn't last I looked).

[michaelp]

Of course you can, you beat it with books!

[Junkhead]

Dev-cpp may not be the best, per se, but it's at least decent. It doesn't have many bells and whistles or anything like that though. If you want portable code though, I recommend you steer clear of platform dependent libraries like XNA or DirectX.

[michaelp]

I don't need any IDE with bells or whistles.
As long as it compiles what I need it to, and works with what I need it to, it's a good IDE.

Yeah, DirectX is only for Windows, but I have only ever owned a Windows OS and it's more than just a grahpics API. If I learned OpenGL, I'd probably need to learn 1 or 2 more libraries.

[Junkhead]

Yep, just making sure you understood. DirectX is mighty fine I hear nowadays, I've never used it myself, however.

[CodeMonkey2000]

Personnally I think you should be using textpad or scite and compile from command line. You won't be spoon fed by the IDE. As for learning directX google "directX tutorials". There are a plethora of decent sites.

[michaelp]

Go spoon-feed my bum.
IDE's are the future of all programming languages.