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Asked: 2026-05-11T23:33:18+00:00

What is the most commonly used (simplest) C / C++ compiler used on Windows

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What is the most commonly used (simplest) C / C++ compiler used on Windows when using the NetBeans IDE (6.7)?

I want to write (mostly) simple C programs. I have Cygwin installed but for some reason NetBeans doesn’t like it. I’m getting a error from it and before I try to figure this out, I thought I should find and (if needed) configure a more popular one. 

makeinfo: --fill-column arg must be numeric, not

nbproject/Makefile-Debug.mk'.
Trymakeinfo –help’ for more information.

I believe I’m getting this error because I don’t have make installed.

I’ve also found this stackoverflow post (C/C++ Compiler for windows) but and that suggests to use MinGW compiler tools.

What is the difference between MinGW and Cygwin? Which is better or preferred? and are there any other options?

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    The difference between Cygwin and MinGW is the the Cygwin tools (and the executables generated) rely on the cygwin DLL that provides a POSIX-like layer for the application.

    MinGW are native Win32 tools (in that they do not require the presence of the Cygwin DLL) that produce native Win32 executables that do not need the Cygwin DLL.

    My personal preference is for MinGW, but if you’re going to be building programs that have a Unix heritage, the Cygwin toolset will likely help you build the program to run on Windows more than the MinGW toolset will.

    I’m not sure what the licensing implications of linking to the Cygwin DLL are (I forget if it’s GPL or LGPL).

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