I need help with Cygwin(linux-like enviroment)

I want to run http://www.brouhaha.com/~eric/software/lcdtest/ but it says I need SDL Library. So I downloaded the source code for SDL at http://www.libsdl.org/download-1.2.php . But then it told me I needed to compile the source code into an executable Windows program by using a compiler of some sort. So I digged around some readme's and install tutorials that came with SDL source and I found myself at http://www.cygwin.com/ .

So I downloaded the cygwin but have NO idea how to compile the source files.

Some helpful tutorials that didn't help me much.

http://www.libsdl.org/extras/win32/cygwin/README.txt
http://www.libsdl.org/extras/win32/gcc.html

 

I think you want the SDL runtime libraries and/or development libraries, not the SDL sourcecode.

 

I tried downloading the runtime library and putting it in the same directory as the lcdtest.exe but the program just doesn't seem to run right. I can't get the "a" command to show the vertical lines so I can adjust my LCD monitors clock frequency effectively. But now this is just sort of bugging me and I want to figure out how to make it work.

 

why would you like to use this program instead of the one in the driver ? That is usually the best you can get.

 

i didn't get a driver with my monitor..i dont beleive

 

most monitor are controlled by the chipset driver and don't need special driver.

And my understanding is that most LCD in notebooks has only one frequency(59/60Hz).

 

oh, sorry, i have an external monitor, an Acer Al2216wsd

 

even then I believe your graphic card is responsible for interfacing with it so the driver should be enough, at least that is what I did in the old days with CRT. Usually, you would just need a profile for the monitor.

the problem you tried to run doesn't sound very special and if you do want to run it, there is a Windows EXE in the link you provided, just follow it.