The TDM GCC installer [1] is great on Windows as it deals with updating the path and even makes a nice shortcut in the start menu. I know a few people who bega

The TDM GCC installer [1] is great on Windows as it deals with updating the path and even makes a nice shortcut in the start menu. I know a few people who began programming with C (or C++) using TDM-GCC and after a couple of questions asking me about the command prompt they were good to go. To begin with just a gcc -o hello.exe hello.c is all that is needed and as you progress with learning the language the additional params are introduced. As the command line on Windows is extremely simple I have found it easier to teach people how to use the command line than to switch to another browser. They only need to have a basic knowledge half a dozen commands, which can easily be written down, to get started. Also, and sorry if this seems insulting, if someone can't grok the idea of using cd to change a directory (and therefore under what a directory is) they probably are not going to be able to learn to program no matter what the language. [1] http://tdm-gcc.tdragon.net/ http://tdm-gcc.tdragon.net/