Please, read the FAQ. In particular, see
<
http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lite/how-to-post.html> and the entry
"Which newsgroup should I post my questions?". Note that almost
everyone will say their compiler is conforming (and you can see an
example here in this thread) but almost none is.
In the strictest sense, none are, because even in the best,
there will almost certainly be a bug or two which affects
conformance. The sad fact, however, is that almost none even
try---Comeau is a major exception.
I just noticed that he didn't say "free", unlike most postings
of this type. So the answer is clear: Comeau
(
http://www.comeaucomputing.com/). Not only is it conforming,
but Comeau with the Dinkumware library is probably the best
compiler around in terms of overall quality as well.
Regretfully, the packaging is not up to the same level as the
rest, or wasn't when I tried it, so installing it is enough of a
chore to put off beginners. But that's about the end of the bad
news. Because it is a quality compiler, it has a lot of
options, and because it treats its users honestly, it doesn't
try to pretend that you can use it without understanding them.
And while not free, the price is extremely reasonable.
But the original poster didn't say why he wanted the compiler,
so it is impossible to say what he really needs. If his goal is
more or less to have something that works out of the box, to
play around with and start learning C++, without having to
attack all of the issues involved in producing professional code
in one go, then he likely doesn't need the features missing in
VC++ or g++, and while totally useless in a professional
environment, VC++ and the Visual Studios environment will get
him going easier and faster than having to learn a real editor,
how to write shell scripts and make files, and all the rest.
(If he wants to do professional development, he'll have to learn
these things sooner or later, since using them effectively makes
you a much more effective programmer. But you don't have to
learn everything at once, and there's no harm in starting with
something less powerful, but easier to get started with.)
