Linux advice

JP · Post by JP » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:00 am

Ok so i'm thinking of trying out compiling IrrAI on Linux and i was hoping i could get a bit of advice on that. I had a nose around the forum for linux discussions and found a few, even some referring to the Linux distro i have installed; PCLinuxOS, but i thought i'd start a fresh and more focused thread instead of dragging up an old one.

Basically i'm not sure what IDE i can use... I looked at DevC++ as that's what i generally use on windows but it doesn't seem to have a Linux version, though some of the threads suggested it did. Code::Blocks was my next stop and that's got Linux versions but only for 5 distros...

Can i use C::B on PCLinuxOS? I don't really understand the whole distro thing and multiple versions so don't know which i'd have to download to get it working...

Eclipse was another IDE i looked at and again that has a Linux version, only one i think, so maybe that's more likely to work than trying 5 different versions of C::B.. But yeah, any advice you can give would be great!

dlangdev · Post by **dlangdev** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:52 am

Try kdevelop if they have it on PCLinuxOS.

I used to code in Kdevelop many years when I was doing Unix/Linux work. It has good support for autotools which you can use. Though I have no idea if Irrlicht uses autotools, maybe they do.

Thimo · Post by **Thimo** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:03 pm

I suggest you use either Kdevelop or CodeBlocks as IDE.

Eclipse is not a native C/C++ IDE but relies on an extension (CDT) to handle that kind of code. It works, but it is missing certain helpful features.

Kdevelop is often described to be very similar to MS VisualStudio an an therefore preferred by people who are already familiar with Visual Studio.

CodeBlocks is available for Windows and Linux an therefore might be preferable if you want to stick to one IDE. Since there is already a tutorial for Irrlicht in CodeBlocks this would seem to be an easy choice.

Last but not least you can use GNU Emacs, which is a very powerful editor, but if you just want to port your code that would almost certainly require to much time to get used to.

According to the repository list, a CodeBlocks rpm is directly available (in RPMS.extra) in your packet-manager (Synaptic), as is Kdevelop (in RPMS.kde).

However, if you just want to compile under Linux, all you need is a build environment (gcc, make, header etc.) and a console

JP · Post by JP » Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:09 pm

Cheers Thimo! Sounds good. I guess i'll have to get Linux properly working on my PC now... forgot the login details

And i guess i'll have to get my PC back online (router blew up

) to get CB out of the repository.

BlindSide · Post by **BlindSide** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:47 pm

I just use GEdit and Make these days. No ****in around. (But it's mainly because C::B is pretty buggy and won't save my environment config)

hybrid · Post by **hybrid** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 9:22 am

Use Vim

JP · Post by JP » Thu Jul 24, 2008 9:50 am

i'd rather steer clear of writing my own makefiles at the moment. I've had some experience of them from rooting through PS3 ones but don't fancy writing them myself.

Having said that.. they're not all that complicated are they? Maybe i'll try...

rogerborg · Post by **rogerborg** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:29 am

Must... resist... urge...

Can't... fight it...

Too... strong...

dlangdev · Post by **dlangdev** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:32 am

you haven't met m4, yet. try that one and we'll see if you can hold against it. that's the worst tool i've ever encountered.

torleif · Post by **torleif** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 7:51 am

Like you I was skeptical about learning to write make files. After I learned the basics of make files programming became a lot faster. Make files are definably worth learning, they make the Linux programming complete.

I haven't tried Kdevelop, but if it can pick up null pointer references and other mistakes as good as M$ visual studio, use it. Visual studio has fantastic debugging tools

Dark_Kilauea · Post by **Dark_Kilauea** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:01 pm

gcc (which is the compiler for most linux IDEs) can be told to complain nearly as much as msvc can.

Just takes the right cocktail of compiler options.

merovingian · Post by **merovingian** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:03 am

Thimo wrote:
Eclipse is not a native C/C++ IDE but relies on an extension (CDT) to handle that kind of code. It works, but it is missing certain helpful features.

I'm curious: what helpful features would you say it's missing?

I don't have much experience of C/C++ IDEs. I've used Eclipse before for some Java development. And most of my C/C++ development experience has been in the embedded world, often with no IDE as part of the project. The main IDE I have used in this world is IAR's Embedded Workbench.

For my Irrlicht-based development though (which only spans the last 5 months), I am using Eclipse, with MinGW under Windows and GCC under Linux. I find it to be quite powerful, and I haven't found myself wishing for anything. Also, the Subversion plug-in is nice, and it's hard not to appreciate the ease with which I can move between Windows and Linux.

Chris.Bailey · Post by **Chris.Bailey** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 4:00 pm

Personally I use Geany but I really just use it for it's syntax highlighting. After I save a file I swap over to a terminal for the trusty makefiles..It's less hassle.