"Free" as in heads -- Was: Speed of Cygwin's cp vs. Windows Explorer

[LDR]

notice that I have redirected this thread from cygwin to cygwin-talk

Bob Heckel wrote:
> Why would using Cygwin's cp to copy a large file from one Windows XP
> box to another take 30 minutes but take only 10 minutes if I use drag
> 'n' drop (via Explorer)?
>
> I saw mention of speed in other posts but couldn't figure out if there
> was a solution - could it be buffer sizes or something configurable?
>
> I'm in a position of defending the use of Cygwin instead of the manual
> Windows way of doing things by those not familiar with Unix.  Any
> hints would be appreciated.
>
> Bob

Bob,

Performance of Cygwin commands and shell scripts compared to Windows, in
technical terms, sucks. But, then performance (including RAS) of Windows
compared to GNU-Linux, and any of the BSDs (including Darwin), also sucks!

But, as you implied in your question, the UNIX, cum BSD (including
apps), cum GNU, cum Linux, cum Perl, cum Python, cum FOSS (LAMP--Apache,
MySQL, Perl, PHP, Python, Jakarta, Mozilla ...), cum Cygwin, cum Ruby,
bring a cornucopia of tools, services, infrastructure, applications,
scripts, and developer environments. And too, performance usually
doesn't matter that much during development (unless you're doing
humongus builds).

However, FOSS code is only accessible by open heads. If the developers
(users) all are committed to the unholy trinity of MS, .NOT,
Visual-BLATHER, then ...

FOSS is as much a mindset as it is a body of tools, code, community, etc.

As an illustration of this, let me highlight some meta-examples that
you've probably seen on this list. Some intelligent, but unknowledgeable
(in some specific domain) person correctly surmises that the Cygwin
developers lists contain an extraordinary group of people who know more
about Windows, GNUishness and the PC-platform than any other group that
they have ever encountered. They ask their inappropriate question.
Hostility ensues.

Like children with reading, if the child (user [developers!]
organization)  isn't ready for it, reading (absorption of GNUishness)
cannot occur.

Best strategy? Seed the development organization with "heads" from
schools (colleges) that have a FOSS orientation.
I would also suggest that you find some FOSS user groups in your local
area: LUGs, PUGs, RUGs, etc.

Others may have different experience, but that's been mine, not just WRT
FOSS, but every aspect of computing and business.

Lee

P.S. See attachment for further "insights" into the "FOSS Community". ;-)

Lee D. Rothstein

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