TopSpeed C++

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A C++ development system for 16 bit OS/2, Windows and DOS code, can be run natively or by cross compiling from DOS, can also be used to develop for the PSION series 3 if used in conjunction with the PSION s3 SDK. System now owned by Soft Velocity who use it as a utility development system for their Clarion database product and an OS/2 compatible product is no longer being offered. Originally a development of the TopSpeed Modula-2 package and shares the same environment and back-end.

The TopSpeed C++ compiler came out considerably later than the Pascal, Modula-2 and C compilers from the same company and was never considered as good as they were, but the later versions are a distinct improvement in particular the 3.10v, although by now completely outdated and only really usable for DOS development in genral and in the case of OS/2 for text mode development.

The TopSpeed Development Environment

One unusual aspect of the TopSpeed system was that you could buy variants of the development system for Modula-2, C and Pascal in addition to the C++ compiler and they all shared a back end. Not only could you call C, Modula-2 or Pascal code from the C++ compiler (and vise versa) but with later incarnations of the system you could mix and match the languages in one source file without resorting to any containers. An unique feature in its time and only one or two other development systems have offered similar flexibility since. After Clarion took over the sales of the TopSpeed system the Clarion 4GL database language was ported to the TopSpeed system (and remains based on it to this day) and became one of the interchangeable front ends.

The development environment also contained a an automatic make facility, an editor, librarian, source-level debugger and sundry minor utilities, and was available in two versions the standard version contained the environment, tools and compiler while the TopSpeed C++ Extended Edition basically bundled the standard edition with TopSpeed TechKit.

Another unusual and somewhat unique aspect of the system was its ability to make multi-threaded code and dynamic libraries (DLL's) for DOS. The TopSpeed systems was developed under OS/2 v1.x and the developers were so taken with the threading model that they duplicated it for the DOS environment giving you not only the obvious benefit of being able to make multi-threaded DOS applications but also the option of making portable multi-threaded apps since the TS version for doses copied the OS/2 version down to a tee.

Version

  • 1992: 3.02
  • Last known version: 3.10

Prerequisites

  • For Windows 3.x or Win-OS/2 programming the TopSpeed TechKit is required, but the tools from it integrate into the TopSpeed environment.
  • Although you can develop OS/2 Presentation Manager applications without the OS/2 SDK, it is highly recommended that you use it since the PM support of TopSpeed C++ is rather weak in the parts were tools from the SDK already existed.
  • DOS 3.0 or later and/or OS/2 1.3 or later.

License

  • Commercial - Discontinued

Author

Publications

Articles

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