[Xastir] Re: Cygwin again

[tbaggett at jump.net]

----- Original Message -----
From: Henk de Groot <henk.de.groot at hetnet.nl>

> That is exactly whay I mean, the product is not stable, you cannot 
> even 
> expect that at least the core functionality works. Anyway that 
> being so the 
> only resolution to stay current and hope that if something is 
> broken, it 
> will be fixed in the next update. That's what I do and what Cygwin 
> users 
> should be aware of.

Yes, Cygwin is a product that is continually being developed, but so is Linux, X, all other package bases, and even Xastir. Some versions of any open source product (and even commercial ones) are better than others.

I have been using Cygwin and their X server for the past year, every day, for days on end in my office in a business environment. I *depend* on it. It isn't like running Linux, but it works, and much much better than Hummingbird Exceed in my opinion. I'm even running Gnome applications (I don't recommend starting a full Gnome desktop due to sluggishness). Others are running KDE.

Yes, Cygwin is very slow compared to running Linux on the same PC. That is because it is not Linux; it's still Windows. Each and every unix-like POSIX function call has to be interpreted into a string of Windows function calls. All this functionality is interpreted. The performance will never be the same.

Running Xastir under Cygwin/Xfree was about the most amazing thing I have done. I was amazed that it even built, then amazed it even ran. I was also amazed at how slow it was! 

In my opinion, Xastir on Windows is great, but if you really want to use Xastir, then installing Linux is the way to go. Xastir under Windows/Cygwin just cannot compare to Xastir under Linux. Neither do gvim, xfig, octave, ghostview, or any other package. If you cannot get away from Windows, Cygwin is a great alternative, just keep in mind that it is not Linux but an entirely different beast.

Now, some tips for avoiding problems with Cygwin.

First, don't update the software frequently. Just because some new packages are available, don't upgrade to them. It is good to test new packages, but if you must depend on Cygwin, don't put yourself on the bleeding edge.

If you do want to try something on the cutting edge, then make sure you know how to back out of your upgrades. Cygwin makes this pretty handy via their setup utility.

So when do you upgrade? Best way is to scan through their mail list archives frequently so you are aware of the latest releases then watch for bug reports coming in. There were a whole slew of broken Cygwin DLLs released this year. Currently, the only one I recommend isn't released, but is a pre-1.5.10 snapshot. I am several versions back on the X package, but it is working perfect for me now that clipboard functionality is solid.

Basically, the exact same philosphy should be used for running Cygwin as is used for running Xastir. If you are going to use the product, you must pay attention to the mail lists so you know what is going on.

Hope this helps.

Tim