Since MacOS is based on BSD Linux, it is relatively easy to do C programming in it. So C programming being closely related to UNIX makes it slightly troublesome when used on non-UNIX operating systems. Please note that whatever applies to UNIX here is also applicable to Linux. For example, header files like unistd.h, signal.h, etc, are added as part of the POSIX standard for UNIX-specific functionalities. Some of the header files in C are developed specifically for UNIX. Any article on UNIX will mention C programming in the first paragraph itself, and vice versa. The C language and UNIX have a very close-knit relationship. Since both C and Windows are still very popular, it is absolutely essential to learn about open source tools that can be used for programming in C in Windows. C programming is still very popular, ranking among the top ten in almost all the programming language rankings. This article will focus on programming with C in Windows. According to Wikipedia, “In the area of desktop and laptop computers, the share of Microsoft Windows is generally above 70 per cent in most markets and at 78 per cent, globally.” The Windows operating system is used both for technical and non-technical purposes. Instead of thinking of open source alternatives to Microsoft Windows, it also makes sense to think about open source software for Microsoft Windows. Figure 1: Output of pgm1.c on Code::Blocks using MinGW This article discusses how MinGW, an open source software development environment, can aid C programming in Windows. C is still a very popular programming language. Though Windows and Linux are often perceived as incompatible with each other, it is possible to run free and open source software on Windows.

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