Complete solution for writing Mac OS X application in C++

Question

I am looking for alternatives for my current box and Mac OS X seems very appealing.

My main area of interest is C++ programming. Currently I'm using Eclipse + CDT and g++ for creating my software; sometimes it is KDevelop.

I know that primary IDE for Mac is Xcode and primary language is Objective-C. I would like to avoid learning Objective-C if at all possible. I've also heard/read that there are some issues in accessing Mac OS X APIs from C++.

Hence my question: what is the complete solution for developing/debugging/testing C++ applications that access all aspects of hardware (UI, sound, video/accelerated video, etc.) for Mac OS X?

Edit: how does Xcode compare to the Eclipse+CDT combo? If this comparison is at all possible...

Answer 1

If you want to use C++ instead of Objective-C, and still want to avoid an intermediate layer of libraries (such as QT), you can use Carbon.

I would use XCode instead of Eclipse simply because Eclipse is way slower when dealing with hardcore C/C++ programming (compiling, debugging, testing).

When I first started to program in Mac OS X, I was in the same page you are now. I thought it was better to stick to the language I knew (C++) and use an older library (Carbon). For some reason I don't remember now, I forced myself into Cocoa (Objective-C). Looking back, I think it was a good thing because:

1. Objective-C is not fundamentally different to C++
2. Cocoa is better, faster and simpler than Carbon
3. iPhone Dev is exclusively Cocoa (Carbon is not supported)