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RE: CR/LF problems after upgrade


Changing lists as this this post is OT.  Someone please let me know if
this is related enough to previous posts in this thread to still be
appropriate for the main list.

fschmidt wrote on Friday, January 05, 2007, at 5:15 PM

> "Use of Cygwin requires unix system administration
> knowledge.  Please do not use Cygwin if you are not
> familiar with unix system administration."

> This would discourage people like me from using cygwin
> and would result in a smaller, but more harmonious,
> cygwin community.

> Yes it's true that I am not interested in learning unix
> file system concepts.  All I want is a decent shell.
> If cygwin can't provide this in a relatively painless
> way, then I will look for an alternative.

Cygwin is upfront with what it is trying to be.  The third sentence of
the home page says that cygwin provides a "Linux API emulation layer
providing substantial Linux API functionality".  Inherent in the Linux
API is a Unix-like system administration, file system, etc.  

The cygwin community is not in a popularity contest.  It is not trying
to provide everything that it possibly might to everyone that it
possibly might.  If you are only interested in getting a better shell
than those provided by Microsoft and are not willing to learn a bit
about how things work on Linux, you are really in the wrong place.

If you just want a decent shell: 
  -  There is a somewhat old version of bash available ported to MS-DOS.
It should run under windows.  See the bash FAQ, question A4, for
pointers <http://cnswww.cns.cwru.edu/~chet/bash/FAQ>.
  -  I'd guess that shells developed for Unix/Linux/etc. other than bash
have been ported to DOS or Windows.  Finding any such ports is left as
an exercise for the reader.
  -  4DOS, an old, now unsupported, command.com replacement, is made
available for free by JP Software.  See the bottom of
<http://www.jpsoft.com/download.htm>.  It should run under modern
versions of windows.  I used to use it before I discovered cygwin, and
it was wonderful.  (Though not so wonderful that I didn't give it up for
cygwin.)  It has many of the same functionalities as the shells made
available by cygwin, but is designed to be what command.com/cmd.exe
might be like if Microsoft had continued to develop them.
  -  JP Software <http://www.jpsoft.com/> sells several other products
designed and compiled as shells for modern versions of Windows.  The
shell syntax is like 4DOS, but further extended, and there is more
integration with the GUI.  If you are willing to spend money, you might
look at them.

- Barry
	Disclaimer:  Statements made herein are not made on behalf of
NIAID.


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