24: C and C Programming Tools

Overview

This chapter describes the tools that C and C++ programmers need to develop software under UNIX. It assumes that you already know either C or C++ but need to learn the tools for compiling, debugging, and project management. Unlike C and C++ development under other operating systems, UNIX software development typically involves using several different command-line programs. Learning the syntax and arguments for these commands can be intimidating at first, but they have become the standard because they are highly configurable, are quick and efficient to execute, and have benefited from years of open-source support. Once you have mastered the command-line tools, you will be able to use the knowledge on any UNIX system, across many platforms. Even if you decide to use a custom IDE, it will almost certainly use some of the command-line tools behind the scenes. If you know how they work, you can take advantage of this to configure the command-line tools within your IDE. This chapter shows you how to

• Obtain C/C++ development tools

• Compile C and C++ programs with gcc

• Manage compiling large projects with make

• Debug your programs with gdb

• Manage your source files with cvs

• Write your own man pages