Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

MinGW VS GNOME Terminal

Compare MinGW VS GNOME Terminal and see what are their differences

MinGW logo MinGW

MinGW ("Minimalistic GNU for Windows") is a port of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) and...

GNOME Terminal logo GNOME Terminal

GNOME Terminal is a terminal emulator for GNOME desktop.
  • MinGW Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-12-08
  • GNOME Terminal Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-10-25

MinGW features and specs

  • Open Source
    MinGW is an open-source software project, which makes it freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute.
  • Lightweight
    It is a lightweight alternative to full-fledged development environments, providing essential tools without unnecessary overhead.
  • Windows Compatibility
    MinGW offers native Windows support, allowing developers to compile applications that can run directly on Windows without the need for a compatibility layer.
  • GCC Integration
    It includes the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), which is widely considered a strong, stable, and versatile set of compilers for C, C++, and other languages.
  • Active Community
    MinGW is supported by an active community, which can provide help, patches, and additional resources via forums and online discussions.

Possible disadvantages of MinGW

  • Limited POSIX Support
    While MinGW provides some POSIX functionality, its support is limited compared to other environments like Cygwin, which might be a drawback for developers relying on extensive POSIX compatibility.
  • Manual Configuration
    Initial setup and configuration can be cumbersome for beginners, requiring a manual installation process that might be intimidating or time-consuming.
  • Lacks Newest GCC Features
    At times, MinGW may lag in providing the latest features or updates available in the newest versions of GCC, leading to potential compatibility or feature discrepancies.
  • No Native 64-bit Support
    Historically, MinGW has focused on 32-bit toolchains, which may not offer the full benefits of modern 64-bit architectures. However, MinGW-w64 was developed to address this issue.
  • Fragmentation
    The existence of multiple variants such as MinGW and MinGW-w64 can cause confusion, leading developers to face challenges in choosing the right version for their needs.

GNOME Terminal features and specs

  • User Friendly
    GNOME Terminal has a clean and intuitive interface that is easy to use, especially for new users.
  • Customizability
    Users can customize the appearance and behavior of the terminal, including themes, fonts, and profiles.
  • Tabs and Split Views
    Supports multiple tabs and split views, making it easier to manage multiple terminal sessions.
  • Integrations
    Seamlessly integrates with the GNOME desktop environment, providing a consistent look and feel.
  • Accessibility
    Offers support for assistive technologies, making it accessible to users with disabilities.
  • Scripting
    Can be extended and controlled using scripts for automation and advanced functionality.

Possible disadvantages of GNOME Terminal

  • Performance
    May not be as lightweight or fast as some other terminal emulators, especially on older hardware.
  • Dependency
    Highly dependent on the GNOME ecosystem, which may not be desirable for users of other desktop environments.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    Lacks some advanced features found in other terminal emulators, such as extensive plugins or multi-pane tiling.
  • Resource Usage
    Consumes more system resources compared to minimalist terminal emulators, affecting performance on low-end systems.
  • Complex Customization
    Some customization options might be too complex for casual users and require manual editing of configuration files.

Analysis of GNOME Terminal

Overall verdict

  • GNOME Terminal is widely regarded as a solid choice for both beginners and advanced users who are working within the GNOME desktop environment. It balances simplicity with adequate functionality, making it a 'good' choice for most users.

Why this product is good

  • GNOME Terminal is a popular terminal emulator widely used within the GNOME desktop environment. It offers a straightforward and user-friendly interface along with extensive customization options. Users appreciate its support for multiple tabs, compatibility with modern technologies like VTE (Virtual Terminal Emulator) for advanced terminal capabilities, and integration with the GNOME ecosystem. The terminal is efficient for running commands, scripts, and various applications, while also providing necessary features like profile management and keyboard shortcuts.

Recommended for

  • GNOME desktop environment users
  • Users looking for a simple and reliable terminal emulator
  • People who need built-in support for multiple tabs and customizable profiles
  • Developers and system administrators who appreciate integration with GNOME settings and appearance

MinGW videos

MinGW или Cygwin

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to Install MinGW | GCC Toolset for C and C++ Programming | Setting Path variable on Windows 10
  • Tutorial - How to install | use gcc | MinGW compiler in windows | window 10

GNOME Terminal videos

185 GNOME Terminal Color Schemes - Gogh

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MinGW and GNOME Terminal)
Terminal Tools
36 36%
64% 64
SSH
14 14%
86% 86
Server Management
19 19%
81% 81
Tool
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare MinGW and GNOME Terminal

MinGW Reviews

10 Termux Alternatives
MinGW is an application with all the functions of GNU that includes the runtime of MSVC and supports C99 functionality. This software is only supported and executed on 64bit Windows and similar platforms with Linux shell environment and provides its users the facility of different import types of files and libraries and move them to other software according to your specific...

GNOME Terminal Reviews

10 Termux Alternatives
GNOME Terminal is software with a terminal emulator that emulates xterm and provides the same features to the Linux environment and can access it from graphical desktops. This software is multiple profiles supported, and users can generate various shapes according to their needs and set specific configurations for each profile separately. This particular configuration can...
The 10 Best Linux Terminal Emulators
GNOME terminal offers support for multiple profiles, which comes in handy if you need to set different profiles for different tasks. Its title bar nicely styles to match the GTK theme you might be using in your Linux distro. Another great feature I find interesting in the GNOME terminal is that it makes links clickable.
Top 14 Terminal Emulators for Linux (With Extra Features or Amazing Looks)
It basically provides you multiple GNOME terminals in one window. You can easily group and re-group terminal windows with the help of it. You may feel like using a tiling window manager but with some restrictions.
Source: itsfoss.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GNOME Terminal should be more popular than MinGW. It has been mentiond 2 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

MinGW mentions (1)

  • Is Mingw dead?
    Is osdn's mingw it a new project ? It's surprising how it provides gcc 4.8.2 and gcc 9.2.0. I guess the 4.8.2 is the last one provided by mingw.org, and 9.2.0 is the first of osdn's project? Is it maintained by the same developers? Source: about 4 years ago

GNOME Terminal mentions (2)

  • Are terminals written in the ncurses library?
    So far I have only seen information that ncurses is a package you would use to write applications for various terminals; what about the terminals themselves? Not only terminal emulators but the actual terminal of something like Ubuntu Server, which I believe to be gnome-terminal. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • A good python library to replace libtcod for terminal play?
    Iterm2, gnome terminal, xterm, Konsole, macos Terminal, powershell, command, etc.. these all provide a common API which we normally use curses to interface with. But all of them basically reach into something lower level (opengl, vulkan, directx, etc.) to render the text, which ultimately is still pixels on a screen. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing MinGW and GNOME Terminal, you can also consider the following products

MSYS2 - A Cygwin-derived software distro for Windows using Arch Linux's Pacman

MobaXterm - Enhanced terminal for Windows with X11 server, tabbed SSH client, network tools and much more

Cygwin - Cygwin is a set of tools that provide Linux and POSIX functionality to Windows.

PuTTY - Popular free terminal application. Mostly used as an SSH client.

PowerShell - Download WMF. Windows Management Framework contains the latest versions of PowerShell, DSC, WMI, and WinRM for older versions of Windows. PowerShell Module Browser. Search for PowerShell modules and cmdlets.

ConEmu - ConEmu-Maximus5 is a full-featured local terminal for Windows devs, admins and users. Get better console window with tabs, splits, Quake style, copy+paste, DosBox and PuTTY integration, and much more.