{"action":"created","issue":{"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/TooTallNate/node-gyp/issues/629","labels_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/TooTallNate/node-gyp/issues/629/labels{/name}","comments_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/TooTallNate/node-gyp/issues/629/comments","events_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/TooTallNate/node-gyp/issues/629/events","html_url":"https://github.com/TooTallNate/node-gyp/issues/629","id":79269678,"number":629,"title":"Windows users are not happy.","user":{"login":"luisrudge","id":941075,"avatar_url":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/941075?v=3","gravatar_id":"","url":"https://api.github.com/users/luisrudge","html_url":"https://github.com/luisrudge","followers_url":"https://api.github.com/users/luisrudge/followers","following_url":"https://api.github.com/users/luisrudge/following{/other_user}","gists_url":"https://api.github.com/users/luisrudge/gists{/gist_id}","starred_url":"https://api.github.com/users/luisrudge/starred{/owner}{/repo}","subscriptions_url":"https://api.github.com/users/luisrudge/subscriptions","organizations_url":"https://api.github.com/users/luisrudge/orgs","repos_url":"https://api.github.com/users/luisrudge/repos","events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/luisrudge/events{/privacy}","received_events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/luisrudge/received_events","type":"User","site_admin":false},"labels":[],"state":"open","locked":false,"assignee":null,"milestone":null,"comments":14,"created_at":"2015-05-22T03:53:40Z","updated_at":"2015-07-09T18:10:26Z","closed_at":null,"body":"It all started with [this conversation](https://twitter.com/luisrudge/status/601570367048654848). \r\n\r\nAs I said, I'm pretty much a newbie and I don't even know what node-gyp does, but what I **DO** know is that it's a pain to run Windows and install a project with node-gyp as a dependency.\r\nSome numbers: \r\n\r\n* [403 questions on stackoverflow (node-gyp windows)](http://stackoverflow.com/search?q=node-gyp+windows)\r\n* [224 issues mentioning \"windows\"](https://github.com/TooTallNate/node-gyp/issues?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=windows)\r\n\r\nIt's bizarre that a nodejs developer needs to install visual studio (even the express edition) in order to be able to work on Windows. Even more bizarre is that I, as a .NET developer with full visual studio installed in my machine still can't download a bunch of projects that use this project.\r\n\r\nWith that being said, I'd like to know from all of you what should we do to make windows users fall in the pit of success? What are the alternatives? Does Microsoft can solve this in any way?"},"comment":{"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/TooTallNate/node-gyp/issues/comments/120090104","html_url":"https://github.com/TooTallNate/node-gyp/issues/629#issuecomment-120090104","issue_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/TooTallNate/node-gyp/issues/629","id":120090104,"user":{"login":"b-long","id":66993,"avatar_url":"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/66993?v=3","gravatar_id":"","url":"https://api.github.com/users/b-long","html_url":"https://github.com/b-long","followers_url":"https://api.github.com/users/b-long/followers","following_url":"https://api.github.com/users/b-long/following{/other_user}","gists_url":"https://api.github.com/users/b-long/gists{/gist_id}","starred_url":"https://api.github.com/users/b-long/starred{/owner}{/repo}","subscriptions_url":"https://api.github.com/users/b-long/subscriptions","organizations_url":"https://api.github.com/users/b-long/orgs","repos_url":"https://api.github.com/users/b-long/repos","events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/b-long/events{/privacy}","received_events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/b-long/received_events","type":"User","site_admin":false},"created_at":"2015-07-09T18:10:26Z","updated_at":"2015-07-09T18:10:26Z","body":"I just found out about the environment variable (GYP_MSVS_VERSION ) option here: https://github.com/TooTallNate/node-gyp/issues/339#issuecomment-111011412 , it might help @luisrudge or others.   Any other updated happy paths for Windows users? /cc @TooTallNate @isaacs "}}