Question about C++, compilers

[Lindley]

Ok so standalone minGW is for the more advanced user?

I'd say that MinGW is intended to allow Windows users to more easily build things that were originally written for Unix-like systems.

Apart from what they are, is there no 'native' make command for windows? So are you not mean/encouraged to compile C++ files with windows?

I'm not sure what you mean by that. The most commonly used build tool on Windows is Microsoft Visual Studio. Technically this means most people use the Microsoft Compiler, but almost no one invokes it directly on the command line, preferring to go through the IDE.

How should I go about compiling C++ files meant for QT?

QT is a library. All you have to do is set up your project or Makefile to properly know where the QT headers and libraries are, and link it in appropriately during the build.