The GNU project focuses on the development and distribution of open source software, including free compilers. The newly-released GCC 2.95 is a free C/C++ compiler. GCC 2.95 includes nearly a year’s worth of new development and bug fixes. The compiler has several new optimizations, and it supports new platforms. In addition, its ANSI/ISO compliance has been improved. For example, operator new now throws a std::bad_alloc exception when it fails, rather than returning a null pointer. You can download GCC 2.95 from the GNU FTP server at ftp://ftp.gnu.org free of charge. This site also provides installation instructions in both HTML and plain text forms.