Re: C++ vs. C# (new to windows programming)...

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Volker Hetzer wrote:
Hi!

Hi,

What would you suggest?

You could use both.

C++ with a C++/CLI library wrapper for the back end code and C# or any other language for the GUI part.
IMHO it's more straightforward and somewhat easier in C# and other managed (only) languages to code a GUI application.

The compiled C++/CLI library can be easily used from any .NET language and additionally you have separated your GUI from the other code.
Which is a good idea anyway, since a new GUI framework will be introduced for Vista / Windows XP - Windows Presentation Framework.
Though both frameworks will be supported side by side. And you will be able to mix them.

I miss some features of C++ in C#, like RAII, but IHMO that's not that relevant for the GUI part. On the other side C# compiles much faster and offers more IDE features (better Intellisense, code snippets, refactoring) than C++/CLI.

C++/CLI will compile to faster IL code, no doubt, but I doubt that you will see a relevant speed difference for your managed GUI.

For a more (significant) responsive GUI (running on slow PCs) you would have to choose a native compiler / IDE, which Microsoft offers only for C++. But using MFC to start a new IDE isn't a good idea - IMHO. You should IMHO choose another vendor if you want to go that way.

I would suggest you to play around somewhat with C++/CLI and C# and code some simple GUI applications with both languages. Additionally you should create a simple .NET library in C++/CLI and see how easy it is to consume the managed objects / classes from any .NET language you like.
Then you can make a decision of your code.

If you need speed and supporting native code (assembly language, mixing managed and native code) then C++/CLI is the way to go. But you can compile this code to a library (dll) which has some C++/CLI objects wrapping the native code. Which you would have to do anyways in a C++/CLI only application, because you need to marshal data from and to native code when mixing native and managed code.

Lots of Greetings and Thanks!

Hope my post has helped somewhat.

Volker

Andre
.

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