It would be wonderful if people could do it themselves.
ps- i'm not getting into MS bashing or responding with a comparison to linux and provoking arguments with members of the linux cult(a bunch of loons that are convinced that if you tried linux more than 6 months ago then your opinion doesn't count 'cos it's really really improved). Any time I try linux it takes more than 6 months off of it before I am willing to talk about the experience!
Cygwin is nice though. Subordinate to me as all software on my machines should be!
I have been using Linux for over six years and it is a far, far superior OS compared to Microsoft. There are several problems with Microsoft installers, especially concerning device drivers, and these problems dont exist for Linux. Some of my servers have had uptimes of over 1 1/2 years without a need to reboot. This includes keeping the application software up-to-date.
I am really sick of Microsoft and its shlock quality.
What are you doing with Cygwin? We use it here when we need to build some modules which we developed under Linux to Windows. Also I use Mingw compiler on Linux to generate Windows executables and WINE to package my product in a .MSI installer. Cygwin really has no use other than as a compatibility layer to OpenSource and GNU software products {automake,autoconf,make, etc.}
Ubuntu is the most ripe Distribution out there. Anyone who wants to shed the extra fat and bloat of Microsoft can easily try Ubuntu by downloading the CD Installer which allows you to run the OS before installing it. This is a very mature distribution which includes support for virtually every configuration available, full support for media {mpeg,mp3,wmv,avi,...} and Firefox 3.0 browser {which I am currently using}.
My advice for anyone who relies on their computer {who doesn't} is to switch away from MS and try a mature Linux product. I even use VMWARE on Linux which allows me to run a Native Windows OS in a window on my Linux desktop.
muman613