A firewall at my workplace network prevents me from downloading .exe files. For example my existing installation of an open source image editor cannot be upgraded anymore. Nor can I download the 'help.exe' files. In general, I would like to know whether (in principle) I can download and extract source-code available as 'tarballs' and and compile them into windows .exe files using a gcc style compiler. Any leads in this direction are welcome. Thanks for your time. I made a wise decision, got a bargain deal, and the next day found that my model was outdated.

Your workplace has the block on for a reason. I'm sure any trick you try to use to circumvent the blocking is a violation of policy, possibly even reason for dismissal. I suggest you talk to your IT people.

Sane advice. I admit, though in a general sense. But I have been around long enough to understand the pros and cons of policy and behave in a responsible way and also take full responsibility for my actions. Downloading source-code need not be construed here as a Smart Aleck "trick" to beat/cheat the system, but should rather be seen as a safe way of getting community certified, malware-free software. Thanks, all the same. My question though still remains unanswered. I made a wise decision, got a bargain deal, and the next day found that my model was outdated.

Download from home and put it on USB stick or CD. ...as an alternative? Otherwise I do not know the answer to your question. Bryan

Well thanks Bryco. I guess that was the inevitable option. I think I will have to settle for that if there aren't any other technically feasible solutions. However I would love to ask (if the Moderators would allow it in this thread), why it is not possible to compile third party apps source-code on my windows host!! I made a wise decision, got a bargain deal, and the next day found that my model was outdated.