The NSIS source files are shipped with every official NSIS distribution as well with the development snapshots. The binary files distributed with the NSIS releases are compiled with the Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 compiler. The source has also been tested to be compatible with the Microsoft Visual C++ .NET 2002/2003 compiler. The NSIS distribution includes Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 project files, Microsoft Visual C++ .NET 2002/2003 automatically convert these files to a new format.
If you don't have Microsoft Visual C++, you can download the free .NET Framework SDK (requires Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003), which includes the latest Microsoft compiler. This SDK does not include the Win32 API headers/libraries, so you should also download the latest Platform SDK. See the Microsoft documentation for information about using the command line compiler and linker tools.
Previous versions of NSIS have been reported to work with the MinGW compiler, however we don't have an up-to-date makefile. If you are working with MinGW or another compiler like Borland C++ Builder or Open Watcom C/C++ and want to provide makefiles or project files please drop a line on the NSIS Forum.
Important notes for Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 users: You should install the latest Platform SDK. Because of flaws in the libraries distributed with Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0, not installing the Platform SDK will result in crashes when using the CopyFiles command, see this forum topic for more information. Installing the Processor Pack is also highly recommended to decrease the size of the installer overhead.