I've got Perl 5 and GNU/Linux experience, nearly zero experience on MS Windows, and need to get some scripts and tools (ex. cron, scp, tar, gzip, Perl) running on a Windows server. I'm hoping to get some guidance here about what I need to install to make this Windows box act at least somewhat like a standard *nix server.

So, perhaps some direct questions will help:

Should I install cygwin? I've done so on a test laptop (running Windows 7, not Windows Server), and it provides a familiar bash shell (so I've got that going for me, which is nice). Cygwin seems to have the regular unixy tools I require, and even comes with Perl 5.14.

Can I install and use cpanm with the Perl that comes with cygwin? I'd much rather use cpanm than manually build/install packages.

I've heard of two other ways to get Perl for Windows: Strawberry Perl and ActivePerl. Would you recommend one of those instead of the one that comes with cygwin? And if so, will installing it conflict with cygwin? Will I be able to shell out to tar and gzip and friends from that other Perl?

Any other tips for dealing with Perl on Windows gratefully accepted. Thanks!

In reply to Newb guidance for Perl on MS Windows: Cygwin, Strawberry, ActivePerl? by Anonymous Monk

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