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msvcrt.dll is the generic C runtime library (aka "libc") on Microsoft Windows that has shipped alongside Windows since Windows 95. Unlike other versions of the Microsoft C Runtime, this binary is available on all end user machines and requires no preinstallation or dependency management solution. However, unlike versioned MSVCRT releases (such as msvcrt71.dll), msvcrt.dll does not have a stable API and its exposed functions are not guaranteed backwards compatible by Microsoft. As such, Microsoft - despite linking against this dll themselves for many of their applications - does not provide the required library stub (msvcrt.lib) for developers to dynamically link against msvcrt.dll for their own applications.
The Makefile in this repository will create a version of msvcrt.lib describing the API exposed by the currently installed version of msvcrt.dll, allowing developers to link against the system copy of msvcrt.dll instead of using a specific, versioned release of the MSVC runtime that requires the installation of the VC redistributable package on consumer PCs before applications linked against it can be used.
Note: It is recommended to use the versioned C runtime when and where possible; this script is only provided for the convenience of developers familiar with the pitfalls and caveats that come with using the unversioned copy of msvcrt.dll and the minimal APIs it exposes!
