c++ - VC++ compiler for Qt Creator

Question

I want to use the VC++ toolset to build programs for XP and Vista, but I do not want to buy the IDE, because I want to use Qt Creator.

I would download the Windows SDK and the Windows Debugging Tools, but I'm not sure if this includes everything that I need (i.e: compiler, linker, nmake, debuggers). Has anyone used this approach? How did it go?

Note: I know about VC++ Express, but that version of the compiler has certain features disabled AFAIK.

Later edit:

I want to know if I can use the SDK + Debugtools before I download 2GB of data. Personal experiences are highly appreciated. MSDN links are not. :)

Answer 1

I am now using the CDB + WinSDK approach and it works.

The SDK includes everything that is needed for building C++ code (make, CRT headers, STL, etc); Qt sees it a MSVC 9. The Debugging tools for Windows kit includes CDB, but make sure that you're using the latest version, it didn't work for me with older ones.

I managed to avoid compiling Qt by downloading the developpez.com binaries (thanks guys!).

In conclusion: Windows Xp/Vista SDK + Debugger Tools For Windows + Qt Creator + Qt binaries from developpez.com can be used as an alternative to the Qt MinGW SDK.