Building C++ applications on Windows 3.x.
If you search for a C++ IDE for Windows 3.x, you will notice the same as with other software: There are lots of applications available for Windows 3.1/3.11, but most of these do not work on Windows 3.0 (and applications specifically built for Windows 3.0 are really rare). I tried several C++ software on my Windows 3.x VMware virtual machine. Here my experiences (so far), starting with applications, that for one reason or another did not work on my system.
Microsoft Visual C++ 1.50 Pro.
Microsoft Visual C++ 1.50 Pro is available for download on the WinWorld Visual C++ page. Even though it is possible to install and to run it on Windows 3.1 and Windows 3.11, I will not describe it here. The reason is that Microsoft Visual C++ 1.50 Pro is not compatible with the 1024×768 pixels 256 colors SVGA driver, that actually turns Windows 3.1/3.11 into an operating system, you may work comfortably with. I don't know if the installation of the IDE is possible when the driver is installed, because I installed it before installing the driver. Installation succeeded, as well as the built of one of the included samples and the execution of the binary created. The screenshot below shows the IDE on my Windows 3.11 (with standard VGA video driver).
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In fact, the IDE itself works properly, even if the SVGA driver is installed. The problem occurs when trying to build an application. I suppose that this is related to the known bug of this driver, resulting in an unreadable screen (and no other possibility as to use CTRL+ALT+DEL to reboot) when an MS-DOS application is launched from within a desktop application (in this case, the DOS application being the C++ compiler, launched from within the IDE). The screenshot below shows how this screen might look; to note that it may look completely different, but in all cases there is nothing else displayed than "garbage".
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Possible that there is a work-around ... I did not search for it, as I found Symantec C++, that fully supports the SVGA driver. To note, that the driver problem is exactly the same with Microsoft FORTRAN PowerStation 4.0, whereas Microsoft Visual Basic 3.0 Professional works well with the SVGA driver.
Watcom C++ 11.0A.
The commercial Watcom C++ IDE has become abandonware and may be downloaded from the WinWorld Watcom C/C++ page. Installation on my Windows 3.11 failed: The setup program of Watcom C++ 11.0A is not compatible with the 1024×768 pixels 256 colors SVGA driver and all I got when launching it, is what you can see on the screenshot below.
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Open Watcom C++ 2.0.
Open Watcom C++ and Open Watcom FORTRAN are forks of the corresponding abandoned commercial Watcom compilers. They are under active development and exist for several platforms. So, there are 16bit versions for DOS (the most recent C++ compiler for DOS was released in 2017!), that is said to also run on Windows 3.1/3.11. It may be downloaded from the Sourceforge Open Watcom page. As for Watcom C++ 11.0A, installation failed on my Windows 3.11, because the setup program of Open Watcom C++ 2.0 is not compatible with the 1024×768 pixels 256 colors SVGA driver. Launching it results in the same unreadable and unusable screen as shown on the screenshot for Watcom C++ 11.0A.
There might however be a work-around: Installing it on DOS, and, if running it on Windows does not work, also running it on DOS. The compiler can produce executables for different target platforms, so it might be possible to create Windows 3.1 programs this way. Maybe, I'll try out some day...
Symantec C++ Pro 6.1.
Symantec C++ Pro 6.1 is a powerful C++ development environment and my recommendation for use on Windows 3.1/3.11. It allows to build applications for DOS and Windows, as well as 32bit applications for Windows 3.1/3.11 with Win32s. And, it fully supports the 1024×768 pixels 256 colors SVGA driver. You can download it from the WinWorld Symantec C++ page.
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If you need help to install and/or run the software, my tutorial Installing and running Symantec C++ Pro on Windows 3.11 might be helpful.
Borland C++ 3.1.
Borland C++ was a commercial C++ IDE that targeted the professional application development market. The version that I tried on my Windows 3.0 VMware virtual machine is Borland C++ 3.1 and Application Frameworks, released in 1992. It may be downloaded from the WinWorld Borland C++ page. The 3.5" 1.44MB floppies version download archive contains 13 diskettes, plus patches. I did install the IDE, without having installed the patches so far...
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If you need help to install and/or run the software, my tutorial Installing and running Borland C++ on Windows 3.0 might be helpful.
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