Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

gow VS PowerShell

Compare gow VS PowerShell and see what are their differences

gow logo gow

Gow (Gnu On Windows) is the lightweight alternative to Cygwin.

PowerShell logo PowerShell

Download WMF. Windows Management Framework contains the latest versions of PowerShell, DSC, WMI, and WinRM for older versions of Windows. PowerShell Module Browser. Search for PowerShell modules and cmdlets.
  • gow Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-04
  • PowerShell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-14

We recommend LibHunt PowerShell for discovery and comparisons of trending PowerShell projects.

gow features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Gow is a lightweight package that provides essential Unix command line utilities for Windows. It doesn't require a lot of system resources and is easy to install.
  • Convenience
    By bringing many familiar Unix commands to Windows, it makes it more convenient for users who frequently switch between Unix/Linux and Windows environments.
  • No Dependencies
    Gow does not rely on additional software or complex dependencies, making it straightforward to set up and use.
  • Portable
    It's designed to be portable, meaning you can easily add it to different Windows systems without much hassle.

Possible disadvantages of gow

  • Limited Command Set
    Compared to full Unix/Linux environments or more comprehensive tools like Cygwin, Gow offers a limited set of commands, which might not satisfy all user needs.
  • No Ongoing Updates
    The project is not actively maintained, and some commands may not be updated to include the latest features or security patches.
  • Compatibility Issues
    There might be compatibility issues or limitations when using certain commands or scripts that expect a full Unix environment.
  • No Native Shell Integration
    Unlike some Unix emulation environments, Gow doesn't provide a complete Unix shell experience on Windows, which could limit usability for some tasks.

PowerShell features and specs

  • Integration with Windows
    PowerShell is tightly integrated with the Windows operating system, allowing for easy manipulation of system components such as the registry, file system, and event logs.
  • Object-oriented output
    PowerShell outputs objects rather than plain text, making it easier to manipulate and pass data between different commands and scripts.
  • Rich Scripting Capabilities
    PowerShell includes robust scripting capabilities, supporting loops, conditionals, and error handling, which allows for the automation of complex tasks.
  • Extensibility
    PowerShell can be extended with custom cmdlets and modules, and it supports .NET Framework libraries, enabling powerful and flexible functionalities.
  • Remote Management
    PowerShell offers remote management capabilities through PowerShell Remoting, allowing administrators to run commands and scripts on remote systems efficiently.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    With the introduction of PowerShell Core, it has become cross-platform, running on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Possible disadvantages of PowerShell

  • Steep Learning Curve
    PowerShell's syntax and concepts can be challenging for beginners, especially those without prior programming or scripting experience.
  • Performance Issues
    PowerShell scripts can be slower compared to compiled code, making it less suitable for performance-critical applications.
  • Complexity
    The rich feature set and extensive capabilities can make PowerShell scripts complex and harder to maintain, especially for large-scale operations.
  • Security Risks
    If not properly managed, PowerShell can be used to execute malicious scripts, posing security risks in environments where execution policy and script signing are not enforced.
  • Dependency on .NET Framework
    PowerShell's dependency on the .NET Framework may pose compatibility issues for specific modules or scripts, especially when operating in environments where the .NET Framework is not fully supported.
  • Limited GUI support
    PowerShell is primarily a command-line tool and lacks the native GUI capabilities found in some other scripting environments or management consoles.

gow videos

No gow videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

PowerShell videos

Logitech Powershell Review!

More videos:

  • Review - iPhone Gamepad - Logitech Powershell Review
  • Review - What is the difference between Cmd, PowerShell, and Bash? | One Dev Question

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to gow and PowerShell)
Terminal Tools
21 21%
79% 79
SSH
8 8%
92% 92
Server Management
12 12%
88% 88
Emulators
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using gow and PowerShell. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PowerShell should be more popular than gow. It has been mentiond 23 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

gow mentions (4)

  • The world if Windows was POSIX compliant
    And if need so much something like this, you can always use WSL or GOW (https://github.com/bmatzelle/gow). Source: almost 2 years ago
  • how the fuck does this make any sense?
    Use gow, and WindTerm; and if you want an even better experience install lsd, fd, and lf all of which are downloadable via Chocolatey, the Windows package manager. Source: over 2 years ago
  • If Fuchsia eventually makes its way into the desktop/laptop space, do you think it will support Linux-like commands for the terminal?
    ¹ Bash was ported natively, zsh runs through mingw quite well. ² https://github.com/bmatzelle/gow. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Limit image count number by deleting old image tags via FIFO-principle?
    Ah, you're on Windows, so you don't have those utilities. Looks like these days, folks are using GoW (GNU on Windows) to install some useful GNU utilities on Windows machines: https://github.com/bmatzelle/gow. Source: about 4 years ago

PowerShell mentions (23)

  • FeiFlow - An Opinioned Git Branching And Release Management Strategy
    Addressing these concerns requires safeguards and automation. Our "in-house" solution is based on powershell for git scripting and logic and ADO tools set for git repo hosting, tracking, planning, linking, building, execution, and querying purposes. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • If you have no experience, learn Powershell (or Python)
    The official PowerShell documentation (specifically, the PowerShell 101 and About topics) is a great place to start. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Best resource to learn PowerShell?
    Really sorry about that this was the link I embedded https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Feeling pretty down/demoralized. Any suggestions on easy wins for my team?
    - Pick something unique to your team that’s an irritant and find a way to automate it. We used Powershell to do this ourselves, but I know people also use BASH. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Unexpected behaviour when processing large file with StreamReader
    Uh, what? https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/ is not official to you? Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing gow and PowerShell, you can also consider the following products

MSYS2 - A Cygwin-derived software distro for Windows using Arch Linux's Pacman

MobaXterm - Enhanced terminal for Windows with X11 server, tabbed SSH client, network tools and much more

Cygwin - Cygwin is a set of tools that provide Linux and POSIX functionality to Windows.

PuTTY - Popular free terminal application. Mostly used as an SSH client.

MinGW - MinGW ("Minimalistic GNU for Windows") is a port of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) and...

ConEmu - ConEmu-Maximus5 is a full-featured local terminal for Windows devs, admins and users. Get better console window with tabs, splits, Quake style, copy+paste, DosBox and PuTTY integration, and much more.