[delta_p_delta_x]

> Usually the Zig compiler can generate binaries smaller than MSVC because it doesn't link in a bunch of useless junk from the C Runtime (on Windows, Zig has no dependency on the C runtime)

MSVC defaults to linking against the UCRT, just like how Clang and GCC on Linux default to linking against the system libc. This is to provide a reasonably useful C environment as a sane default.

If you don't want UCRT under MSVC, supply `/MT /NODEFAULTLIB /ENTRY:<function-name>` in the command-line invocation (or in the Visual Studio MSBuild options).

It is perfectly possible to build a Win32-only binary that is fully self-contained and only around 1 KiB.

[ziml77]

Yep I've done that before, it's how I know linking to the C runtime is what bloats the binary. For most real projects I wouldn't disable linking it, but it's fun to see the output get so small.

[pjmlp]

Also UCRT is kind of recent, Windows 10 timeframe.

[account42]

It's also irrelevant since you could write a native Win32 binary without and crt dependency before it.

[account42]

> It is perfectly possible to build a Win32-only binary that is fully self-contained and only around 1 KiB.

Good luck actually distributing that binary to users without all the various kinds of scareware in the way yelling DANGER.

[delta_p_delta_x]

That's a matter of code signing and SmartScreen, both of which are completely orthogonal to how the binary is built.

[account42]

You may or may not be able to pay the protection money to get around the warnings but it is not at all orthogonal to how the binary is build - the scareware industry (both Microsoft as well as third parties) absolutely despises executables that deviate from the default MSVC output.