Starting programs How?

[Jeffrey Holle]

RLB wrote:
>          Have been using VisualStudio ( 6  & 8) for several years.   I 
> am not satisfied with the stuff that comes out of MSFT.
> 
  Boost; gcc compiler; cygwin; gimp; STAF;

I recommend that you use bjam, the build system of boost.
While I only use bjam on linux, I find it much more productive to use 
that a GUI.  I too have spent years using Microsoft's Visual Studio 
products and found they were always a maintenance problem.

Bjam is a make replacement that allows the programmer to operate at a 
higher level of abstraction than both make and Visual Studio.  This 
hopefully will allow you to remain blissfully ignorant of your "cross 
compiler" tool chain.

Look for example Jamfile in the boost directories.  There is a separate 
mail list for bjam users, (gmane.comp.lib.boost.build)

As for editors, I recommend investing in good one.
Personally, I like the Visual Slick Editor.