gow

Start and watch the current directory

$ gow run .

$ gow run . [argument1 argument2 ...]

$ gow -v -w=[path/to/directory1,path/to/directory2,...] run .

$ gow -e=[go,html] run .

$ gow -h

gow (Installation Package)

Gow is a lightweight alternative to Cygwin. It installs a collection of over 100 useful open-source Linux command-line tools commonly found on Unix-like systems, providing a Unix-like environment on Windows without requiring a full emulation layer. It is smaller and easier to install than Cygwin, making it suitable for users who primarily need specific tools rather than a complete Unix environment.
Gow aims to bridge the gap for developers and users accustomed to working with command-line tools on Unix-based systems, enabling them to leverage familiar utilities like `grep`, `sed`, `awk`, `find`, `ls`, and others directly on their Windows machines. However, Gow isn't meant to replace Cygwin or MSYS2, both of which offer more comprehensive environments. Instead, it complements them by providing a streamlined set of essential utilities.

Gow does not provide a full Unix-like environment. It only includes a subset of available command-line tools. Compatibility issues might exist for complex scripts designed for Unix-based systems. Gow is an installable package so there are no command line options.

Gow is distributed as a Windows installer (.exe). Simply download and run the installer, following the on-screen instructions. It will typically install the tools into a directory like 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Gow', and add this directory to your system's PATH environment variable, allowing you to use the tools from any command prompt.

Gow can be uninstalled through the standard Windows 'Add or Remove Programs' control panel.

Gow includes a variety of common command-line tools such as: ls, grep, sed, awk, find, gzip, bzip2, tar, less, head, tail, cat, sort, uniq, diff, patch, wget, curl, ssh, scp, and many others.

Gow was developed to address the need for a minimal Unix command-line toolset on Windows, providing a lighter alternative to Cygwin. The project appears to be largely community-maintained, and is available via sourceforge. While not actively developed currently, it is still a useful tool for basic Unix-like functionality on Windows.

cygwin(1), msys2(1), busybox(1)