Author: Tom Likens
Date: 18:33:31 11/16/02
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On November 16, 2002 at 11:45:27, Bob Durrett wrote: > >I'm Confused. C, C++, C#. Which to Use? > >I have an old Visual C++ compiler which I purchased many ago. >But bulletins posted here seem to favor C, as opposed to C++ as >if C is better than C++ for chess engine programming. > >Still trying to find the best C compiler to use for chess engine >design on my Compaq 1 GHz 1GB RAM single-processor PC. > >Tried to download one but got error message saying NO! > >Yahoo! seems to find C++ compilers but not C compilers. > >Sorry for sounding like a child. : ( > >Bob D. Hello Bob, The truth be told you can write a strong chess program in either C or C++ (I suspect the same is true of C#, but I've never used it so I won't make an general statements). That being said I'd recommend C for a more basic reason. There are a large number of free tools that you can use to debug your program as you develop it (which unfortunately you will spend a lot of time doing). Some of those free tools are valgrind, electric-fence and LcLint among others. In fact, if you use gcc you can even patch it so that it will check array bounds for you automatically. A real plus since this is a fundamental weakness (or strength depending on your perspective) of both C and C++. Unfortunately, these programs don't support C++ as well as C. You can buy professional programs that will do the job but they can be *very* expensive. If you use these tools from the start your program will be more robust and your hair less gray ;) Another advantage is that your fundamental core routines, such as the move generator, hash table, search, evaluation etc. will be solid. Good luck with your program, it is a *very* addictive hobby so be prepared to kiss a large portion of your spare time good-bye :) regards, --tom
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