MFC -- is it dying?

[KevinHall]

I know MFC is not dead, but I am curious whether people are still considering developing new projects with it or whether people are using .NET for new Windows C++ projects.

[Yves M]

Well, I'm not using MFC currently, so I don't really qualify ;)

But for new developments, we're definitely ruling out MFC and sticking to either .NET or a portable C++ window manager, but .NET sounds more probable.

[HeartBreakKid]

For the company, we are moving to .NET (C# specificially) for new development, mainly because Microsoft is supporting us very well for doing so.

For my personal projects, I haven't really decided... Currently I can code up a working application in MFC quite fast, but I might try out C# to see what all the fuss is about...

In my opinion, for new enterprise commercial development, MFC is dead, and sadly, it seems to be taking C++ with it. :(

[KevinHall]

In my opinion, for new enterprise commercial development, MFC is dead, and sadly, it seems to be taking C++ with it. :(

I wouldn't be so gloom and doom over this. I don't believe that C++ is going to die anytime soon. C++ is losing some ground to languages that better handle certain situations. However C++ still has many language features other languages do not have: a preprocessor, true multiple inheritance, templates, template specialization, a multi-paradigm approach, exceptions, standardization, more deterministic behavior (i.e. lack of an unpredictable garbage collector), and the ability to be compiled into very optimized code. Even MS says that C++ is the preferred .NET language for most applications.

Personally, I like C++ b/c of its many features and b/c I am familliar with it. But it isn't perfect for everything. For the situations for which it is not perfect, I will use another language. Someday I hope that everything learned from C++ and other languages out there will be used to create an even better language (although I hope that this language will keep as much of the C++ syntax as possible -- I mean why in the world did Eiffel have to use different operators? It seems like Eiffel's designers used different operators just to be different! :mad: )

[Latem]

I think it depends on the circumstances.
I guess C# is kind of taking over some things that MFC or Wind32 have been used to do before. But that's just the evolution of everything I guess.

In my opinion, for new enterprise commercial development, MFC is dead, and sadly, it seems to be taking C++ with it.

I definitly disagree with that. C++ is very much used and relevant today, and will be for some time. Even for windows based programming. Any more inovled, or specialised, software has to use it somewhere.

Although not really relevant to the topic at hand (cuz the quesition is MFC), but programming on Linux is C or C++ only, and I dont see that really changing any time in foreseeable (sp?) future. At least not until Mono becomes some sort of really popular standard, and KDE adopts it or something.
I dont know about Mac, but I think most frameworks for that are in C++ too?

[marsh_pottaye]

It depends on the circumstances.
Anyhow, MFC is not dying.

[_uj]

I know MFC is not dead, but I am curious whether people are still considering developing new projects with it or whether people are using .NET for new Windows C++ projects.

I'm going to use wxWidgets, an open source portable MFC based GUI

http://www.wxwindows.org/

[Deniz]

MFC is fine, so why not...

maybe .net in the future ( a couple of years) but MFC is perfectly ok for now.

[SOCM_FP_CPP]

Hi ,
MFC was a relief for C/C++ programmers when it arrived on the scene. Like anything in this world (by the passagfe of time ), it is bit dated for modern projects.

With the advent of modern tools like Delphi , Visual basic and their .net cousins , there are lot of options for modern day application developers. MFC was a library for the 90s. Even in the fag end of 90s,Microsoft itself began to push ATL to the fore.


Qt , WxWindows has made inroads into areas where MFC was a undisputed leader. These cross platform libraries are a good bet for modern day C++ based application development.

For COM support , we have got ATL. For Cross platform UI , we have got Qt,GTK+ and WxWindows.

MFC has got a place where legacy Windows APP has to be maintained. I do not think Microsoft will port MFC to 64 bit. Why should they do it ?



Praseed Pai
www.praseedpai.com

[Hokutata]

It depends on the circumstances.

[micknustiunimik]

Everything dies sooner or later.
But MFC is still alive.