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Ask HN: Windows shell confusion – which shell people use on Windows?
Which shell/prompt do you use on Windows?
1. command prompt
2. powershell
3. cygwin
4. git shell (Github for Windows, which is either command prompt, git bash, or powershell, depending on setting)
5. git bash (which is bash, using MINGW64)
6. Windows 10 Bash shell
7. others
Windows Shell Confusion
I have been using Windows for development for years. After years of development, I have been more confused about the shell choice. It used to be simple. Just use command prompt. Our build script would be written for command prompt. No problem there. For a while, I used cygwin. Cygwin was alright. At least I can use ssh, scp, curl, and git on it.
I also use git shell from Github for Windows sometimes. whenever the project' script requiring git.
However, so often, a tool would work on one shell, and not the others. For example, firebase-tools CLI deploy would work on PowerShell, but not on git bash. Most of the firebase-tools command works, but not for deploy command, which is interactive. Now, I am in state of confusion, I often jump from one shell to another for different tool. Obviously, I don't want to remember which tool to use for which shell, I just want to use one shell.
What about the new Windows Bash shell that comes with Windows 10 anniversary edition? Is that the "one shell to rule them all"? Do you recommend it to be "my precious"?
I would at least like to use it for
- git
- curl
- copy and paste folder path from file explorer (such a simple request, you can do this in command prompt and powershell, but not on git shell or git bash)
- node
- maven
- common CLI tools today
Which shell do you use and which stack of technologies do you usually work with that works with it?
- PaulHoule 10y agoI use powershell as much as I can, but cygwin when I want to use commands that are in cygwin.
- codercollective 10y agoThanks, What type of commands you use in cygwin? What type of things you use on powershell? powershell does not support ssh, scp, and git, right?
- Artlav 10y agoMostly the default one. Never had too much need for command line on Windows - it's beauty is in the great GUI tools, and build systems can be handled by simple bat files.
- vardump 10y agoAny hints what the great GUI tools are? How do you script them? Or was that sarcasm?
- Artlav 10y agoTortoiseGit, for example. Makes Git usable for a visual person. Nothing even remotely as good exists on linux, sadly. All the file handling is done by Total Commander. MC is kinda close on linux, but lacks a lot of features. But yeah, i guess it's all irrelevant in the context of this question when it's read carefully...
- codercollective 10y agoThanks, I understand your point of having great gui tool. for example, github for windows is a pretty good gui. However, with a lot of tools, eg. firebase-tools, bower, npm, etc, it seems that command line is still needed a lot of times. Nowadays, it seems even when I'm not working on node.js, many tools require me to use npm and bower.
- Zekio 10y agoThe new windows bash shell is pretty good, only been using it for ssh for now, however I think ssh, scp, curl & git could be done in windows bash shell just fine
- codercollective 10y agoRelist the 7 shell choices in better formatting. 1. command prompt 2. powershell 3. cygwin 4. git shell (Github for Windows, which is either command prompt, git bash, or powershell, depending on setting) 5. git bash (which is bash, using MINGW64) 6. Windows 10 Bash shell 7. others I didn't notice that copy&paste ruined the format when I posted my original article.