What is the difference between CygWin Ports and CygWin?

  • Cygwin Ports is a repository of software built on top of, and in addition to, those in the main Cygwin repository.
  • The version of the installers refers to the version displayed on the first page of the installer (e.g. Setup.exe version 2.844 (64 bit)); the latest version from http://cygwin.com is always recommended, but (currently) at least version 2.829 is absolutely required.
  • There are only a handful of conflicting packages; in each case, the Ports version is recommended over the standard distribution version.
  • Ports packages are downloaded with the same installer (albeit with specific installation directions) as the core distribution, so the same three options of Install from Internet, Download Without Installing, or Install from Local Directory are all available.
  • Any other software using dependencies from Ports should operate correctly, provided it does not attempt to conflict with Ports' packages. If you have specific issues, please provide details of your issue to the Cygwin Ports mailing list.

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Cygwin