Is C++ programming different on Windows 8 than Linux ?

JESSEJJ89 · 02-01-2013, 12:46 AM

Been using Linux (Gentoo/Ubuntu) for a while, and have never used Windows to do any programming. On most Linux Distros it is an easy and simple process. Now I'm thinking of installing Windows 8, would I need to expect anything different ? I read that there is the "MinGW" package for C++, would that be a good alternatives for two users that program on the same computer ?

Thanks,

Novice with C++

Kustom42 · 02-01-2013, 05:56 PM

C++ is a language, an operating system is not going to modify the actual language in any way. It may deal with the compiling and execution of code differently but the actual language will be 100% the same.

MrCode · 02-01-2013, 06:46 PM

To clarify: no, the language doesn't change one bit, unless you're using compiler-specific extensions for a compiler that's bound to a specific platform or such.

The only real platform dependence would be in the APIs you're using, if they are indeed platform-specific, e.g. Windows API, Linux-specific system calls, etc.

Sergei Steshenko · 02-01-2013, 07:17 PM

AFAIK, 'gcc' is stricter WRT C++ standard compliance than Microsoft compilers.