diff on windows

[an3k]

You know diff on linux? Yes? Ok, read below! No? Continue reading! diff is a tool which read two files and shows you the differences with line numbers and such. it also can generate a patch file which is nothing more than instructions for diff (but now with different switches) how to apply the settings to an unmodified file. A very nice tool if you have to compare somehing - something like registry hives which you made before and after applying some settings.

WinMerge is an awesome port to windows. The GUI (Graphical User Interface) is very easy to use and shows greatly the differences between two files or two directories (each file in the directory is seperatly compared and you get a nice list where you see which file is different or not, you can double click in entries to edit the files directly). The left file or directory is the old or unmodified file, the right one is the modified one (important for creating a patch file with WinMerge). On the very left column you see something like a fileline (like a timeline) on which different lines are marked.

You also can compare archives (which is like folder compare), WinMerge automatically choses the right unpacker (you need to set this setting before).

The software is Open-Source and thus free for all but if you like this application, support the Project!