C++ - Is it worth using GCC over MSVC on Windows? [closed]

Question

I have read some questions about GCC vs MSVC and the development of these compilers such as GCC worth using on Windows to replace MSVC?, Visual Studio or GCC? and GCC vs MS C++ compiler for maintaining API backwards binary compatibility. But those are very outdated questions(2011). With new c++14 features coming things are starting to balance between the two compilers. Is it still worth using Code::Blocks on Windows with all the advantages of using Microsoft Visual Studio such as:

• Native Windows libraries with support to using MFC, ATL, DirectX and other useful Microsoft libraries.
• Great debugging features, especially when using the disassembly view(it has so many useful features).

In most of the topics I have read, they always say GCC code generation was better than MSVC's, but the differences in that matter were starting to narrow. Is code generation still better in GCC? What about newest c++ features, which of them is ahead?

The biggest advantage I see in using GCC versus MSVC is that:

• It is open source, which makes custom compiler code possible.
• Easier to make portable code.
• IT IS FREE.
• ???Better code generation???

C++14 features on GCC: https://gcc.gnu.org/projects/cxx1y.html

C++11 and C++14 features on MSVC RTM: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vcblog/archive/2015/06/19/c-11-14-17-features-in-vs-2015-rtm.aspx

Answer 1

The elaborated question is an open invitation to opinions; there's even some provocation about "best IDE" etc. Even so the question as posed in the title,

” C++ - Is GCC [i.e. g++] worth using on Windows nowadays?

has a simple fact-based answer, namely yes, because

• it's a good idea to expose code to at least two compilers, when that's possible, e.g. the combo Visual C++ and g++, and

• g++ is good for purposes of learning.

The main problem with g++ in Windows is that its API binding only covers the Windows XP API fully, and nothing very little after.

Answer 2

Yes.

Although MSVC has made some progress toward newer C++ standards, it is still woefully behind, even on C++98 status (which is conveniently excluded from that status page).

From what I've read recently, the MSVC team does not even have a concrete plan for fixing some of the old issues, e.g. with name lookup and template instantiation.

Now, when you can use MSVC with clang as the compiler, that might be reason to stop using GCC. However, for my purposes, I find that clang has much inferior diagnostics (and sometimes inferior code) so I still use GCC as my primary compiler and just use clang as a backup.

And as @Cheersandhth says, it's good to use two compilers. Though maybe look at Intel's compiler.