About Cygwin

Cygwin is a compatibility layer for Windows which lets you build and run software which expects a Unix-like operating system.

Cygwin is really nice when you're stuck using Windows, but you want to play with open-source software, most of which expects to be run on a Unix-like operating system.

But there is one annoying thing about Cygwin: in its default install, you have to use it through a console window, of the kind provided by Windows for running Command Prompt. The editing capabilities and general usability of this console window are just short of atrocious.

Fortunately, on modern Windowses, you're not stuck with this: you can make Cygwin use a PowerShell window. While not paradise, it's not quite as frustrating to use. Here's how to set it up:

1. Find PowerShell on your Windows installation. The easiest way to do this is probably to use the search facility in the Start menu, and type in powershell.
2. Once you find an icon for PowerShell, create a shortcut for it. Alt-drag it to the desktop or something.
3. Edit the properties of that shortcut. The target will be something like %SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe. Add the location of your cygwin.bat file to it, so that it's something like: %SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe C:\cygwin\cygwin.bat.
4. Probably you should rename your shortcut "Cygwin Powershell" or something, to minimize confusion.
5. Double-click your new shortcut. It should totally just work.