GCC/G++ Integration with MSVC

[Zachary Turner <divisortheory at gmail dot com>]

Hello,

I recently had the idea that it would be great if GCC/G++ were
integrated into MSVC (I'm sure I'm not the first).? That is, if you
could put a user in front of a computer with Visual Studio installed
and for them to be able to write an arbitrary program from start to
finish without realizing that they were not actually using Microsoft's
compiler on the backend (barring, of course, the fact that it would
print GCC version information or something in the build log)? (also
assuming that the user is completely stupid, aside from the ability to
write excellent C/C++ code).

All jokes aside however this is not quite as hard as it sounds, and I
believe about 90% of the work that would need to be done is with
regards to the MSBuild system, editing / creating xml files which are
the MSVC equivalent of makefiles.? You can even create entire
configuration UI's just like what you get in MSVC without writing any
code, only editing their XML equivalent of makefiles (at least this is
true in the upcoming MSVC10, it's probably true at least to some
extent in prior versions but I don't know).? On the other hand, it's
not easy either.? So I'm posting this to see if there is any interest.
 I am of course willing to contribute (substantially) to such a
project, but I know myself and given the amount of work that needs to
be done I do not think I have the time to take it from start to finish
single handedly.

It's a bit of a catch-22 asking this question here, since by
definition most people here don't use MSVC, but on the other hand
there would be no reason for MSVC fanboys (which I admit I'm partially
guilty of being) not to switch to GCC if it were really almost exactly
the same as using MSVC.

I think it would be great to have the power of MSVC's ide coupled with
GCC being pretty much at the forefront of standards compliance,
especially with respect to C++0x.

A few areas would be difficult, perhaps implausible, to support.? This
includes things like syntax coloring / error squiggles according to
what GCC believes to be the correct syntax.? It's also not immediately
clear how such a project would affect Intellisense, parameter / member
display tooltips, etc since if a feature unsupported by MSVC were used
it would in theory be possible to confuse MSVC's native engine.? In
essence the immediate goal of the project would be to support nothing
more than switching out the compiler being used when you click
"build", and a user interface exposing all of the possible command
line options that can be used with GCC.? And as mentioned, these two
modest goals would require very little actual C/C++/C# support code to
be written.? With support for this, most things (including integrated
debugging support using the msvc native debugger) should "just work".

So all that aside, is there any interest at all?? Reasons explaining
why I'm crazy and/or wasting my time also welcome.

Regards,
Zach