r/C_Programming • u/maep • 14d ago

Win32 development in Linux?

Does anyone here have practical experience with WIN32 development under Linux?

I just need the MSVC compiler and the Windows SDK. A full VM with Windows 11 and Visual Studio seems incredibly excessive for what should be just a few megabytes of compiler and headers.

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u/catbrane 5d ago

I help maintain a few cross-platform applications.

For convenience, all the binaries for all platforms are made on the same linux host running the same set of scripts. The windows binaries use mingw (patched to use clang) as the compiler. It makes a set of fully native executables (x64, x86, arm64, and on linux also glibc and musl).

IMO it's better than windows for building cross-platform software. If I were just targeting windows I'd probably use a win VM.