Where would I download a mac version of "C"/"C++"?

[Gooseberrysoda]

I'd like to start homebrewing it up with something simple. What system should I start on, and which program would be best for it? When I make my way to Genesis, which would be best? And most importantly, where do I download a mac version of either?

I feel like I need to type something else, but I don't know what. Thanks, I guess.

[Dylan]

Well, older systems have less efficient code based on when they were built. To be honest I don't know in what language video games are encoded (except for the NES, which was entirely in assembly. wow.), but I bet it varies. Be warned, that C++ is the best and hardest programming language to learn. It'd be like if you were deciding to pick up a regular language, and tried to learn English first.

As for programs, GCC and Xcode are generally considered the best compilers for mac.

[dlmvii]

Be warned, that C++ is the best and hardest programming language to learn.

What? How do you figure? C++ is often taught as an introductory language for a reason. That being said, if you have zero programming experience, I would start with Java or C++ (Or visual basic, if you were using windows).
Eclipse is an amazing IDE to use, although a bit bloated.
http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/

[Dylan]

What? How do you figure? C++ is often taught as an introductory language for a reason.

I guess I wasn't clear about my statement. C++ isn't the hardest to learn, that was an overstatement, but it's feature set is huge and somewhat bloated, making it difficult to master. I guess that I was also factoring in the popularity of programming languages and comparing it relative to those. It's not like anyone needs to learn unlambda.

[gtmtnbiker]

Be warned, that C++ is the best and hardest programming language to learn.

What? How do you figure? C++ is often taught as an introductory language for a reason. That being said, if you have zero programming experience, I would start with Java or C++ (Or visual basic, if you were using windows).
Eclipse is an amazing IDE to use, although a bit bloated.
http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/

I agree that C++ is one of the harder languages to learn outside of assembly. It would be taught part of an intro course before Java was popular. Pointers, templates, destructors, virtual functions, etc are not easy concepts for beginners. It's a good language to program in but it's not for beginners. As you mention, Java/VB are better for intro courses.

[Niode]

You need to install xcode this installs xcode but more importantly installs the developer tools as well, such as gcc for compiling etc.

If you don't have an ADC account then xcode can be found on your install disc. It is highly recommended you sign up for an ADC account, since it's free and it gives you access to the very latest tools.

Then it's a simple matter of running xcode and starting a c++ project.

Things to consider. Is it going to be a command line application or GUI? If it's command line then you just need to create c++ tool project.

For GUI apps you need to consider what framework you are going to use. Cocoa uses objective C for the interface and c++ for the rest. One consideration for Cocoa is that for xcode to recognise your objective c files you need to give them the extension .mm.

Another method is using Carbon which is Apple's C API for writing GUI apps.

Finally if you want your app to be crossplatform then use GUI framework such as Qt or wxWidgets, they allow you to create GUIs that work in OS X, Windows and Linux.


On the subject of coding for specific platforms you need to find a compiler for your OS. Now that might be tricky as getting the SDK will cost you money. There are unofficial open source dev kits for most consoles out there but they are generally linux or windows only. So you might have to consider using a bootcamp partition or another windows/linux system to compile your code on.