> 1) does it support ruby,python,c++,c, java? Yes, you just need to select the package you'd like in addition to the basic installation. This process is easy and there is a search field that will assist in locating the package you desire.
> 2) What type of shell does it support? (sh,ksh),what can it emulate? Both Bash and Korn shells are supported in addition to several other shell interpreters. > 3) Is it possible for cygwin to start in a certain folder, akin to when I drop cmd.exe on a certain folder, or name powershell to start in a certain folder it will open up, i need to navigate to directory fast Cygwin is designed to emulate a Posix compliant (Linux like) environment on a Windows OS machine. By default your command line sessions will start in your home directory, however if you have other areas where you commonly work, set a symlink to that area and use the link for fast and easy directory changes. Since this is a Posix environment, using the '\' character, instead of the '/' character, character in path names will usually fail. There is a special command "cygpath" that will allow you to easily convert from one path to the equivalent posix path [i.e. cd "$(cygpath "C:\some\directory")" will convert to the equivalent posix path]. You can reach any Windoze folder in this manner. > 4) What are the alternatives to cygwin, what are the advantage and disadvantage of cgywin? Yes, but few are free or as well maintained (a great tribute to the Cygwin team). > 5) What are the most common uses of cgywin? You can use Cygwin for almost anything you would use any Linux or Unix environment for. I often test scripts or programs in Cygwin. There are a few exceptions but they are generally speaking rare (named pipes have historically had issues). Cygwin may have a few differences which are forced on them by the actual Windoze OS, but again these are uncommon. -- Problem reports: http://cygwin.com/problems.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/ Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple
