TopSpeed C++: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:45, 12 April 2015

Description

A C++ development system for 16 bit OS/2, Windows and DOS code, can be run natively or by cross compiling from DOS. 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 the 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as they were, but the later versions are a distinct improvement in particular the 3.10v, although by now completely outdated and only really usable for DOS development.

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, C++ or Pascal code from the Modula compiler (and vise versa) but 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 features 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.

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

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

Various fixes and workarounds for the 3.10 version of the compiler
A review of TopSpeed C/C++ v3.02 - From PC Magazine July 1992

Links

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 ====Prerequisites====
-* For Windows 3.x or Win-OS/2 programming the Microsoft Techkit is required, but the tools from it integrate into the TopSpeed environment.
+* 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.