shite@unf7.UUCP (Stephen Hite) (01/10/91)
I called Zortech and got a little info on ZTC++ for the Mac. It will be an MPW tool and support MacApp. That's it. He couldn't tell me more because it's really slated for a mid to late Spring release. I guess that the ad in Dr. Dobbs is just that, a teaser of something in work but not "there" yet. The tech rep said to call back in about 2 weeks and he will be able to provide more information. I have no inside knowledge of what Zortech C++ is going to provide but I can guess from my DOS encounter :-): 1. The compiler itself is solid. As long as they didn't bug up the back-end code generator you'll probably never want to go back to Cfront because it is FAST. ZTC++ doesn't produce assembly code, it's straight object code. However, they'll most likely provide info if you want to use the MPW Assembler for some routines to link in. 2. Their bug-fix policy is good. You call up, they have a new minor release fix disk, you get it...free. They are very good about fixing bugs promptly. 3. For now, you're probably not going to see a load/dump facility as MPW C++ has now. The Win 3.0 programmers are complaining about recompiling many standard headers over and over (familiar to many MacApp programmers) so I would guess it's on their todo list. 4. I could see MPW ZTC++ getting away from being a tool in the future as well as having their own debugger (ala Symantec). Zortech is into the "Developer's Edition" concept where they want to provide all the important tools you need to produce professional, standalone applications (i.e. Compiler, Debugger, Library Source Code, etc). Their pricing, when it hits this stage, will be closer to MPW than Symantec. They'll let Symantec have the low-end user...Zortech is more after the corporate accounts where $450 for a complete package is no big deal. However, they are good at providing pricing variations in case you don't want the debugger or library source code included. End of ramble. ---------------------- Steve Hite shite@sinkhole.unf.edu