I need to send a batch file to a customer that needs to do a search-and-replace in a bunch of database scripts.

Windows doesn't have anything built in (or does it?), so I'm looking for an implementation of SED or AWK that I can include. Stuff under the GPL (or similar) is not an option.

Brian Kernighan has AWK on his website; appears to be free to distribute in binary form (as long as the copyright is included).

You should be able to use VBScript. It's built into Windows; you don't have to install anything. The extension .vbs is already associated with the interpreter.

Yeah, but I hate VBScript...

As you should, but it will do the job without having to distribute anything other than the script. You could try JScript. It's marginally less odious and marginally less likely to be installed.

And it will further lock that database app into Microsoft's clutches..

A search and replace? I think any of us could implement that in any language we'd never even seen before in about half an hour, tops. Sounds like it's a one-off thing anyway. And he's already running it under Windows. That ship has sailed, my friend.

The database app is already on Microsoft SQL Server. Nothing I can do about it.

I have a GUI search and replace that is totally free if that works for you. It is called "My own free fully functional search and replace". It was made by a friend of mine who was tired of trying to find a free Windows search and replace.

Thanks, but not really -- it needs to be a command-line app: I'm running it in a batch file.