Most compilers nowadays have several options that reduce compilation time considerably. These options include incremental build, precompiled header files, and cached header files. By default, these options are turned off. If you find that compiling your applications takes a long time (which is likely if you’re using STL, for example), you can reduce it considerably by enabling one of these options. In Borland C++ Builder, for instance, you turn on the use precompiled headers option like this: under Project->Options