How to install and use Cygwin
From ArticleWorld
Cygwin is a Unix-like (or, more correctly, POSIX/Linux-like) environment for Windows, abstracting a layer of system calls above the ones used by Windows. Therefore, it makes an excellent tool for ensuring portability, as well as trying some familiar Unix programs on a Windows machine. Here is how to install it.
Steps
You should begin by reading the Cygwin quick start guide on http://sources.redhat.com/cygwin/cygwin-ug-net/cygwin-ug-net.html . It will familiarize you with the install sequence and allow you to make some decisions before actually starting to install Cygwin.
- Go to Cygwin's homepage: http://cygwin.com/ and click on "Install Cygwin now!". This will start a download. Open the file setup.exe, which it has started, without fear of viruses or the like.
- During the installation, you will select a number of packages, as well as some installation options. Some administration will be required after the installation process, but not too much. You are advised to allow the setup program to create a shortcut on your desktop. Double-clicking on it will open a console window.
Notes
You can run setup.exe again if you want to update Cygwin or install additional packages.
Do note that Cygwin is not exactly an emulator. It is not a way to make Linux applications magically run on Windows; they have to be re-compiled if no Cygwin package is available. However, using Cygwin is a great asset if you are a developer and are in a continuous quest for portability.