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MinGW VS Windows Command Prompt

Compare MinGW VS Windows Command Prompt and see what are their differences

MinGW logo MinGW

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

Windows Command Prompt logo Windows Command Prompt

Windows Console Emulator, Far Manager plugins.
  • MinGW Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-12-08
  • Windows Command Prompt Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29

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.

Windows Command Prompt features and specs

  • Widely Supported
    The Windows Command Prompt is a built-in tool available on nearly all Windows operating systems, ensuring wide compatibility and availability without the need for installation.
  • Simple to Use
    The Windows Command Prompt offers a straightforward interface for executing basic commands, making it accessible even to users with minimal experience with command-line interfaces.
  • Automation and Scripting
    Users can automate repetitive tasks and execute batch scripts, improving efficiency and facilitating complex workflows through CLI commands and batch files.
  • System Administration
    The Command Prompt allows system administrators to perform various administrative tasks like file management, network diagnostics, and system configurations directly through commands.
  • Troubleshooting
    The Command Prompt provides numerous commands for diagnosing and fixing system issues, making it an essential tool for IT professionals when troubleshooting problems.

Possible disadvantages of Windows Command Prompt

  • Limited Functionality
    Compared to more modern or advanced command-line interfaces like PowerShell or Unix-based shells, the Windows Command Prompt has relatively limited functionality and fewer built-in commands.
  • No Support for Scripting Languages
    The Command Prompt does not natively support more powerful scripting languages like Python or Perl, which limits its capability for advanced scripting and automation tasks.
  • Interface Limitations
    The Command Prompt interface is text-based and does not support modern features like syntax highlighting, tab completion, or powerful text editing capabilities found in many contemporary terminals.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While simple to use for basic tasks, mastering more advanced functionalities of the Command Prompt involves a significant learning curve, especially for complex scripting or system administration tasks.
  • Security Risks
    Improper use of certain commands can pose security risks, potentially exposing the system to vulnerabilities or accidental misconfigurations, particularly when commands are run with administrative privileges.

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

Windows Command Prompt videos

No Windows Command Prompt videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MinGW and Windows Command Prompt)
Terminal Tools
64 64%
36% 36
SSH
27 27%
73% 73
Server Management
36 36%
64% 64
Tool
22 22%
78% 78

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 Windows Command Prompt

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...

Windows Command Prompt Reviews

We have no reviews of Windows Command Prompt yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, MinGW seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time 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

Windows Command Prompt mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Windows Command Prompt yet. Tracking of Windows Command Prompt recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing MinGW and Windows Command Prompt, you can also consider the following products

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

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.

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

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

Termux - Terminal emulator and Linux environment for Android

Console - Console is a Windows console window enhancement.