Microsoft Visual C++ .NET Standard 2003 [Old Version]

by Microsoft

Product Features

• Use this powerful visual development tool for high-performance apps for Windows or the Web
• This cutting-edge technology serves industry-standard C++ development through commercial and community-based libraries
• Use the ATL Server to encapsulate C++ programs into a handy set of ATL classes
• Work with powerful new XML Services for smaller and faster programs

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000089GKV
• Item model number: 254-00257
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 2, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,606 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #41 in Software > Programming > Programming Languages
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Visual C++ .NET 2003 provides developers with a proven, object-oriented language for building powerful and performance-conscious applications. With advanced ISO-conforming template features, low-level platform access, and an optimizing compiler, Visual C++ .NET 2003 delivers superior functionality for generating robust applications and components.

Developers can use Visual C++ .NET 2003 to build a wide variety of solutions, including Microsoft Windows-based and Microsoft .NET-connected applications. C++ is one of the world's most popular systems-level languages, and Visual C++ .NET 2003 gives developers a world-class tool with which to build best-in-class software.

Use Managed Extensions to C++ and compiler support for optimized Microsoft intermediate language (MSIL) code generation. Incorporate Microsoft .NET Framework features including garbage collection, Windows Forms, and threading. Call unmanaged code using high-performance C++ interoperability technology. Write and compile purely unmanaged x86 code. Speed up your application or reduce its size with optimization options for a range of processors, including Whole Program Optimization, and support for Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE) and Streaming SIMD Extensions 2 (SSE2) instruction sets.

Product Description

With Visual C++ .NET Standard 2003 you'll have the tools you need for building and consuming .NET components designed with C++!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Optimizing Compiler is available!!, April 27, 2004

By 

"nstar71" (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft Visual C++ .NET Standard 2003 [Old Version] (CD-ROM)

I have been researching this product after reading some disturbing reviews here. The standard edition does not come with the code-optimization features.

You can, however, download the 2003 toolkit - FOR FREE - which includes the Microsoft C/C++ Optimizing Compiler and Linker. This is the same compiler and linker that ships with Visual Studio .NET 2003 Professional!

It can be downloaded here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/visualc/vctoolkit2003/

The new compiler moves toward ISO conformance. So this version of VC++ is actually more standardized than previous versions. This can be helpful when porting applications to other standardized environments and compilers.

I program mostly 3D graphics and have experienced a frame rate increase since downloading the toolkit. This new version is helpful when working on large group projects as well. Oh and the shader debugger is a plus when writing vertex and pixel shaders.

78 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This product is not practical for any type of development., April 20, 2004

By 

Richard Whitehouse (Madison, Wisconsin United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft Visual C++ .NET Standard 2003 [Old Version] (CD-ROM)

I've been writing an OpenGL engine for a while now, and decided to make the step up from VC6 to .net in order to continue development. I was already quite adjusted to the interface since I'd been using it for about 6 months where I was previously employed. That said, I'm not a fan of the new interface, having spent so much time adjusting myself to VC5/6. I've got quite a few pet peeves with it (like alt+F7 no longer bringing up project settings even with the VC6 keyboard layout), but that is not my main problem with the product... (obviously, or I would not have ordered it anyway)

Once it arrived, I decided to do some benchmarking to compare performance of builds between VC6 and vc.net. I made a build of my engine to arbitrarily do 500 box-triangle collisions against level geometry per frame, figuring that would be a good way of averaging things out since it's completely cpu-based (and largely dependant on compiler optimizations). I was a bit shocked by the results. My VC6 build maintained a consant 40+ FPS on my p3 1ghz, while using the exact same code and assets, the vc.net build stayed at around 15-20fps. I fiddled with the project settings for a while, but concluded this speed loss was due the lack of compiler optimizations in vc.net standard. Which means there isn't a darn thing I can do about it. Oh, and no, I didn't do something silly like test a release build against a debug build. I made sure the project settings for each build were as similar as possible.

So, in conclusion, I've got no choice but to keep using vc6, and this was a great waste of 100 dollars. My advice is, if performance matters to you at all, don't buy this product. I was expecting to see some amount of performance loss due to the lack of "compiler optimizations", but this is completely absurd. The loss of performance makes this product completely unusable as a serious development platform. For serious development, you really have no choice but to go for a higher-priced development suite. Otherwise if you just want to fool around and performance isn't an issue, you might as well be using one of the many free compiler/IDE sets out there instead of blowing 100 dollars.

87 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ive got a headache, October 28, 2003

By 

J. Turner (Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft Visual C++ .NET Standard 2003 [Old Version] (CD-ROM)

While users new to C++ might be enchanted with Visual C++ .NET, those of us who have been programming with VC++ for years will be disgusted. Visual C++ has been relegated to a the same tier held by FoxBASE. All of the new .NET examples are in C# or VB.

Thankfully, I downloaded the evaluation copy, and didn't purchase the non-refundable software.

The first thing I noticed was that the Visual Studio IDE has been entirely rewritten.

The Visual Studio C++ class wizard is gone. Yes. Gone. You will have to spend time (and a large amount of it) to relearn how to add events, message handlers, and otherwise get up to speed with the VB-ish property window.

Granted, this version does have better ANSI standards compliance, better support for templates, and some optimizations.

If you only need to write native C++ code, pass on this product.