Due to be announced in the middle of this month, and not before time, is Microsoft Corp’s C/C++ Development System for Windows and MS-DOS, known as C/C++7. Priced at UKP335, the product suite features a complete set of Windows operating system class libraries to help developers convert C-based Windows programs to C++ Windows applications. C/C++7 is claimed to have greater size and speed optimisations than Microsoft C v6 – new technologies include p-code, which shrinks applications by up to 60%, and auto-lining, which automatically performs intelligent inlining of an application’s function to speed it up by 10%. Compilation times are said to have been reduced by the inclusion of pre-compiled headers and the package also includes new releases of the window-oriented debugger CodeView and the Programmer’s Workbench. However, because Microsoft has taken its time entering the C++ market it has to take market share from its rivals, so upgrades are available at UKP150 for those ditching Borland International Inc C++, TurboC++, Zortech C++ and TopSpeed C++ – those with Microsoft C 5 or above are also eligible; it ships in March.
