Which Compiler to Use?

[arew264]

I'm a little (actually a lot) unfamiliar with compilers. I'm trying to make a native windows C++ app.
Is MinGW a linux emulator (as I recall it is) and if I made an app with it, would it run on systems without MinGW?
Should I use the Microsoft VC compiler? Is there another compiler I can use to make native windows binaries?

[NeverDream]

MinGW is a native Windows compiler. It's a Windows port of GCC and provides the win32 API. The Microsoft VC++ compiler is likely more optimized for native Windows apps, but it's a hefty download (you'll need VC++ 2005 Express and the platform sdk).

[arew264]

That's the humorous part... I already have VC++ and the PSDK.
I'll go with MinGW for now because I hate Microsoft (yet I'm creating an app for their OS?)
Maybe at some point I will switch, but I'll stick with what works well and easily.