C++ Programming on Macs from Windows?
 

I need an IDE (or a way to make a current IDE) for Windows that can develop and test programs for macs without using a cross compatable toolkit. It needs to develop exclusivly for mac (if its a toolkit).

What do you mean by "exclusivly for mac", the only way you can do that without using a Mac is by using C++ libraries which run on the Mac as well as windows. Then just compile you program on a Mac and hope it works. You can't develope using Cocoa and Carbon or any other mac technology unless you are on a mac.

You also cannot compile any executables for a PPC architecture on a Intel Processor, nor can you compile for a Dual Core on a Pentium without using cross compiling tools.
If you're getting a contract for some Mac work, it might be wise to invest in a mac, just for compiling/QA purposes.

I did want to have to use cross toolkits. But if I must...

well, there is no other way to compile binaries that will run on a different processor type.

Perhaps you don't understand the situation. Microprocessors of differing type have different hardware circuitry. Some of the signals to drive these circuits are provided by software (machine code), along with some internal microcode. Machine code is produced by higher languages, such as assembler (generally very direct, often a direct mapping to machine code), as well as more abstract languages such as C, Fortran, you name it. These languages are tailored for a specific platform and ultimately emit machine code for the processor (even if via a virtual machine). Codes emitted for a given processor will not run on a non-compatible processor. This is the reason for cross-platform tools. It is also a reason for the existence of VMs, which do the "crossing" for you. The VMs, of course, have to be written for specific processors, also.

You can, in theory, build a cross gcc (targeting something like i686-apple-darwin) that runs inside MinGW, but as noted, it's probably a lot easier to get a Mac.

Why do you need to develop for a Mac when you don't own one? I am just curious.

But it could be more cost effective to set up cross-compiling... at least until you need to test it... :beard:

Not everybody writes only for their own machines ;)

Amen. Probably 80-90 percent of the machines consuming clock-cycles are not like one's own.