Does it possible to run C++ apps for every type of OS?

I would like to use C/C++ for coding my apps, but I need my开发者_如何学JAVA apps running on all versions of Windows from XP to Win8, independently by any platforms, run time libraries and so on.

Briefly: What kind/type of C/C++ I suppose to use, be able to run my apps on every type of Windows without any additional installation, just default one. e.g Windows XP SP1

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C++ can run on just about any OS, as long as you avoid (or, via conditional compilation, provide alternatives for) anything specific to one OS or version. Win32 code is almost all the same between versions; the main difference is added functionality in newer versions. Between Windows and, say Linux, though? Not so much. You kinda need to pick a platform, unless you want to either stick to text mode (which is pretty close between OSes, thanks to standards) or learn some whole other platform-neutral API like OpenGL, wxWidgets, GTK, etc.

As for which compiler to use, if you're sticking with Windows, I'd recommend Visual Studio. Microsoft has a free (Express) edition that will let you compile Win32 code or .net. (You'll need the paid version, or some playing around with the Platform SDK, to play with 64-bit though.) And the IDE isn't too bad either. If you just want a compiler, the Platform SDK has the same compilers VS has, and includes 64-bit support (and even a bunch of code samples and tools) as well.

As for being independent of any runtime libs: Every C++ compiler that's worth using has a runtime library. If you link statically against it, though, the parts you need will be embedded in your EXE. Alternatively, you have permission to distribute the runtime libs with your app (though you may need to install it via a package they provide, that you bundle together with your app...i forget how all that works).

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All popular C++ compilers support XP up. You can statically link the runtime, or, for mingw, you can link against the runtime supplied with Windows.