Simple C code won't compile Help!

[ManyBeers]

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

int main()

{
    char buffer[256];
     
     printf("Enter your name and press <Enter>:\n");
     gets(buffer);
     
     printf("\nYour name has %d characters and spaces!", strlen(buffer));
                       
    return 0;
}

I am using the book Teach Yourself C in 21 days and this sample doesn't compile
anybody no why it doesn't. I use Notepad++ and MinGW on Vista and the other samples so far compiled.
The error I get....28:9: error: .. expected unqualified id before numeric constant

 

[Merad]

Compiles and runs fine with MSVC and gcc 4.8.1. Post the full text of the error message.

 

[Gryz]

Don't use gets(3). Evar.

That routine should be removed from the library and from examples in books. It's the root of all buffer-overflow bugs.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I also saw some warning related to datatypes. Looks like you want to be using a "%zd" instead of a "%d" - the strlen function returns a size_t data type, not an int.

This is informative:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4309746/safe-alternative-to-gets

 

[ManyBeers]

I also saw some warning related to datatypes. Looks like you want to be using a "%zd" instead of a "%d" - the strlen function returns a size_t data type, not an int.

This is informative:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4309746/safe-alternative-to-gets

Thanks I used zd and it compiled.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Thanks I used zd and it compiled.

Good!

But the real question is, did it work?

Lots of things compile that don't work.

 

[ManyBeers]

Good!

But the real question is, did it work?

Lots of things compile that don't work.

Yes it compiled and ran in Xubuntu 12.04 but not in Vista. I normally use Xubuntu when learning C but I will also use Windows. Apparently there is something distasteful to MinGW in this bit of code. Hey where is the best place for answers
if I need them in the future(which I most definitely will)?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Yes it compiled and ran in Xubuntu 12.04 but not in Vista. I normally use Xubuntu when learning C but I will also use Windows. Apparently there is something distasteful to MinGW in this bit of code. Hey where is the best place for answers
if I need them in the future(which I most definitely will)?

Well, you're always welcome here, but when I'm trying to hack something together, my desperate googling usually leads me to StackOverflow.

 

[ManyBeers]

Well, you're always welcome here, but when I'm trying to hack something together, my desperate googling usually leads me to StackOverflow.

Ok I have them bookmarked.