Gow (Gnu On Windows) is the lightweight alternative to Cygwin. It uses a convenient Windows installer that installs about 130 extremely useful open source UNIX applications compiled as native win32 binaries.
Developed by Brent Matzelle
Gow is a lightweight alternative to traditional shells, focusing on speed and efficiency, while Babun offers a more comprehensive shell environment based on Cygwin, with a focus on customization and ease of use for Windows users.