What is a good compiler to use and what is a Console Program.

Hi, I am very new and before I start programming I need to know what tools I need to use. I read in the tutorial something about a console program. Could someone please explain to me what this is? It also says the way to edit and compile a program depends on the compiler you are using. Can anyone suggest a good compiler to use?
A console program is, of course, a program that uses a console or terminal as the main interface with the user (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_console_(computer_user-interface) ).

These are the most common: gcc, VC++, MinGW, Turbo C++, Intel C++ Compiler.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compilers
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Ignore then >.<"
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@HeatMan. Please don't respond when you have no idea what your talking about.

For starters, Code::Blocks is an IDE, not a compiler. And there is technically no best Compiler, or IDE.
So is a Virtual Console like DOS? Also I have Windows XP. Do I have a consol program on my computer? Sorry.
Not technically.
All versions of DOS are operating systems.
"An operating system is the software component of a computer system that is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the resources of the computer."
A virtual console is a virtual device for (mainly) text I/O. It is an essential part of any OS, but not an OS per se.

I know of no OS without a console. Yes, XP has a DOS-like terminal emulator called cmd.exe. It can be executed by pressing Windows key+R, "cmd".
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Actually, Windows2000/XP/Vista/ME has no console, in the traditional sense. The console is merely an application within it. Not part of the OS.
It has that console during load. You know. Where ScanDisk runs after an improper shutdown.
Not part of the OS still, it's just run within a separate container. That was one of the big "advantages" of going to Win32. ME was a half-implementation, which was why it was terribly unstable.

Win3.1, 95, 98, Unix, Linux and OSX all have Consoles as a basis for the OS.

WinNT, 2K, XP and Vista don't.

ME half does, in a terrible sort of way.

I would suggest Dev C++ or Visual C++ for coding and compiling. They both work great and have no problems.
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