Millions Can Now Run Linux GUI Apps in Windows 10 (bleepingcomputer.com) 203
"You can now use GUI app support on Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)," Microsoft announced this week, "so that all the tools and workflows of Linux run on your developer machine." Bleeping Computer has already tested it running Gnome's file manager Nautilus, the open-source application monitor/task manager Stacer, the backup software Timeshift, and even the game Hedgewars.
Though it's currently available only to the millions who've registered for Windows 10 "Insider Preview" builds, it's already drawing positive reviews. "With the Windows Subsystem for Linux, developers no longer need to dual-boot a Windows and Linux system," argues the Windows Central site, "as you can now install all the Linux stuff a developer would need right on top of Windows instead."
Finally formally announced at this week's annual Microsoft Build conference, the new functionality runs graphical Linux apps "seamlessly," according to Tech Radar, calling the feature "highly anticipated." Arguably, one of the biggest, and surely the most exciting update to the Windows 10 WSL, Microsoft has been working on WSLg for quite a while and in fact first demoed it at last year's conference, before releasing the preview in April... Microsoft recommends running WSLg after enabling support for virtual GPU (vGPU) for WSL, in order to take advantage of 3D acceleration within the Linux apps.... WSLg also supports audio and microphone devices, which means the graphical Linux apps will also be able to record and play audio.
Keeping in line with its developer slant, Microsoft also announced that since WSLg can now help Linux apps leverage the graphics hardware on the Windows machine, the subsystem can be used to efficiently run Linux AI and ML workloads... If WSLg developers are to be believed, the update is expected to be generally available alongside the upcoming release of Windows.
Bleeping Computer explains that WSLg launches a "companion system distro" with Wayland, X, and Pulse Audio servers, calling its bundling with Windows 10 "an exciting development as it blurs the lines between Linux and Windows 10, and fans get the benefits of both worlds."
Though it's currently available only to the millions who've registered for Windows 10 "Insider Preview" builds, it's already drawing positive reviews. "With the Windows Subsystem for Linux, developers no longer need to dual-boot a Windows and Linux system," argues the Windows Central site, "as you can now install all the Linux stuff a developer would need right on top of Windows instead."
Finally formally announced at this week's annual Microsoft Build conference, the new functionality runs graphical Linux apps "seamlessly," according to Tech Radar, calling the feature "highly anticipated." Arguably, one of the biggest, and surely the most exciting update to the Windows 10 WSL, Microsoft has been working on WSLg for quite a while and in fact first demoed it at last year's conference, before releasing the preview in April... Microsoft recommends running WSLg after enabling support for virtual GPU (vGPU) for WSL, in order to take advantage of 3D acceleration within the Linux apps.... WSLg also supports audio and microphone devices, which means the graphical Linux apps will also be able to record and play audio.
Keeping in line with its developer slant, Microsoft also announced that since WSLg can now help Linux apps leverage the graphics hardware on the Windows machine, the subsystem can be used to efficiently run Linux AI and ML workloads... If WSLg developers are to be believed, the update is expected to be generally available alongside the upcoming release of Windows.
Bleeping Computer explains that WSLg launches a "companion system distro" with Wayland, X, and Pulse Audio servers, calling its bundling with Windows 10 "an exciting development as it blurs the lines between Linux and Windows 10, and fans get the benefits of both worlds."
This is not good (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:This is not good (Score:5, Insightful)
Remember the four essential freedoms [gnu.org]?
You're trying to abolish freedom 0 out of spite. Knock it off.
Re:This is not good (Score:5, Informative)
As an old free software advocate, and free speech advocate, please permit me to disagree. The right to run software as you wish is a right for the users of the software, not for the authors to encumber that software however they wish and deprive others of their freedoms. Since Microsoft has violated that right so often, distrust is well-founded.
No one is prohibiting Microsoft from behaving well. But Microsoft has not only been caught before, they have been _convicted_ or reached significant settlements for their abusive behaviors. Much like convicted pedophiles are compelled to notify neighbors when they move in, and neighbors allowed keep heightened watch on the convict, keeping an eye on Microsoft for the expected abuses is quite reasonable
I'd particularly keep an eye on Trusted Computing lock-ins. The tools were not designed for security, they ere designed for DRM. Adding DRM to the Linux subsystems could have very chilling effects.
Re: (Score:2)
Microsoft is a user of the software. Prove otherwise.
Re: (Score:2)
I do believe I already answered the question?
> The right to run software as you wish is a right for the users of the software, not for the authors to encumber that software however they wish and deprive others of their freedoms. Since Microsoft has violated that right so often, distrust is well-founded.
Re:This is not good (Score:4, Insightful)
No, you didn't. You claimed that Microsoft was an author, not a user. It's also a user, full stop. You then made an unsubstantiated claim that Microsoft violated a user's right to run software. I'm not buying that one at face value either.
Mere distrust also doesn't justify a present tense declaration that "this is not good."
Re: (Score:2)
"This is not good" was a title of a thread in which I responded. I'd say "this could be bad", because of Microsoft's history of deceit, fraud, theft, and treachery in software development. It could lead to poisoning of open source or free software with anti-free-use encumbrances, in particular involving trade secrets and patents which the GPLv2 and various open source licenses do not provide robust protections for.
> It's also a user, full stop.
Certainly. The associated freedoms of the Free Software Foun
Re: (Score:3)
Microsoft's history of deceit, fraud, theft, and treachery in software development.
Where were they convicted of fraud and/or theft? Those are some pretty serious accusations. "Deceit" and "treachery" sure but "fraud" and "theft"?
It could lead to poisoning of open source or free software with anti-free-use encumbrances, in particular involving trade secrets and patents which the GPLv2 and various open source licenses do not provide robust protections for.
Microsoft joined the OIN a few years ago which actually helps to shield Linux from patent lawsuits. But more to the point the GPLv2 already has prohibitions on patent royalties and there is the implicit patent grant not to mention that kernel contributors have to sign off that their contributions can be distributed under the GPLv2.
I'm still not understanding why y
Re: (Score:3)
I suppose the fear in some quarters is that if you can run Linux software on Windows, nobody will run Linux proper. And if nobody runs Linux proper, Linux apps will slowly die in favour of Windows only apps. I don't think that's what's happening, or even that is what MS is shooting for, but it's a theory. MS kinda did it with OS/2.
Re: (Score:2)
The Windows interface stole a great deal of interface design from Apple
By that metric so did every desktop Linux distribution. The same nonsense happened with Android around Apple's "slide to unlock" feature and Linux systems themselves are effectively a copy of UNIX. But if you're siding with Apple, SCO, RIAA/MPAA, Oracle, etc... on the definition of "stolen" in this context then yes such things probably make sense.
More recent abuses by Microsoft include the OOXML RFC frauds, a "standard" which Microsoft Office deliberately violated in order to enforce Microsoft propretary incompatibility with their published API.
Recent? Yeah back in 2005 when Apple was just announcing their switch to Intel, the iPhone was still years away and Yahoo! had about 30% search marketshare. More r
Re: (Score:2)
It is kind of dumb though. The whole idea of dual booting was specifically not to run Windows, why they fuck would I run Linux apps if not to escape M$ and windows anal probe 10.
It's like, hey, tiny limpers I think you do not get it but the whole reason to dual boot is to be able to use your computer free of the control of a suck ass corporations and M$ are as shitty as they get, so fucking shitty, that when subject to actual competition WINDOWS PHONE DIES and that's the reality.
It's like hey, tiny limpers
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
So you missed freedom 1, "The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish," in which the very same person or entity becomes an author without losing freedom 0.
Also, you're advocating for restricting my freedom to have WSL as an option for running free software in the way in which I
Which is it? (Score:5, Interesting)
Thereâ(TM)s nothing to DRM for the Linux use case. Windows is getting WSL2 because they want to power Azure and Microsoft 365 services using Linux on the backend rather than Windows Server, which will enable them to wind down development on the legacy Windows technology stack very slowly without shareholders getting skittish about it. The original EOL date for Windows 10 was originally primed to be July 2025 and we also know that Microsoft are withholding SKUs like Windows 10 Terminal Server as being Azure-only as a means of providing long term legacy compatibility for holdouts. They are even offering the virtual desktops themselves for free to existing Microsoft 365 customers, you only pay for bandwidth, storage, RAM and processing power.
What does that tell us? Well, we already know Windows 10 is being replaced. The next generation Windows experience that Satya Nadella promised will likely be released in line with the original Windows 10 EOL date (in 2025) and will be very cloud-integrated, with heavy use of Linux on the backend, where non-technical people cannot see it. Linux will become THE dedicated development platform for power users and techies, while Windows will provide a simplified productivity layer for day to day work, all powered by Azure. The legacy Windows 10 will likely be maintained until just past 2030 at that point so that they can fulfil their promise of supporting Windows on devices for as long as the OEMs support the device.
Nothing nefarious towards open source just a simple plan for market dominance in a world which doesnâ(TM)t care whether binaries run in their PCs or somebody elseâ(TM)s...
Re: (Score:2)
Wine has had interesting results.
> Thereâ(TM)s nothing to DRM for the Linux use case.
Look again at Trusted Computing. It supports DRM for the entire stack, from the authenticated hardware to the signed software to the published and access-restricted documents, no matter the copyright or license of the software or intent of the software's author.
> they want to power Azure and Microsoft 365 services using Linux on the backend
It's also reasonable to assume they want to retain commercial control of a
Re: (Score:2)
If Microsoft were to dump the Windows kernel and move it to Linux kernel as the main kernel, it could actually save a lot on development costs and would make business sense for them to do so.
Re: (Score:2)
The right to run software as you wish is a right for the users of the software, not for the authors to encumber that software however they wish and deprive others of their freedoms.
What software are you talking about? Microsoft is not the author of the Linux applications that they are facilitating running on Windows, nor are they the author of the Linux kernel. What program is it that you're applying the 4 freedoms to that Microsoft is the author of?
Microsoft is the author of WSL, which is not Free Software. Maybe the you're confused because they distribute the Linux kernel? In that case don't try and co-opt the Linux kernel to make it part of the Free Software movement - that's what
Re: (Score:3)
Baloney. He's not saying people shouldn't be *free* to run Linux binaries on Windows. He's saying it's a bad idea.
Re: (Score:2)
So he didn't say:
That's an awfully generic "bad idea" argument. Almost like they shouldn't be able to do it.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm not surprised that you took his descriptive statement and assumed it contained an implicit argument. I did the same thing. I'm just surprised that you interpreted it the way you did. Personally, I read it as, "Linux developers shouldn't buy into this shit and start using Windows (and, while you're at it, now is a good time to ditch GitHub)." hey!'s interpretation was much more reasonable than the one you came away with.
Re: (Score:2)
Personally, I read it as, "Linux developers shouldn't buy into this shit and start using Windows
They don't have to, that's the point. Previously if you, as a software developer, cared about your program running on Windows you had to run Windows and develop for Windows. Now you don't, you can just target Linux and users will be able to run your progam regardless of whether they run Linux or Windows.
Re: (Score:3)
You're trying to abolish freedom 0 out of spite.
Are they? That seems entirely unclear from the contents of that comment.
Freedom 0 means that Microsoft is free to use open source code as they wish. It does not mean that they may not be criticized for what they do with that code, or that people may not deem that use of the code to be antithetical to freedom.
It’s like if someone exercises their freedom of speech by advocating against freedom of speech. Of course they’re free to do that. But it’s not a violation of freedom of speech for oth
Re: (Score:2)
The problem with all revolutions. Ideals are hard to live up to.
Re: (Score:2)
Someone downmods to 0, and I simply repost. The system works.
I missed the Evelyn Beatrice Hall-like declaration of "I disapprove of what Microsoft is doing, but I will defend to the death their right to do it." The reason that such phrases are so notable is that disapproval typical
Re: (Score:2)
I missed the Evelyn Beatrice Hall-like declaration of "I disapprove of what Microsoft is doing, but I will defend to the death their right to do it."
Not everyone is Evelyn Beatrice Hall. It is not reasonable to assume that if they don't make such a declaration they must therefore mean that they do oppose their right to do it.
But hey, you apparently consider "extinguish" and "overlords," and "subvert," and "cannibalising" to be the language of mere disapproval. No problem requiring a solution at all.
No, you're putting words in my mouth just as you put words in the mouth of the other user you responded to and turning this into a false dichotomy.
This isn't a choice between "mere disapproval" and stripping Microsoft of their freedom. There is a lot in between those two things, like encouraging projects to abandon GitHub, discourag
Re: This is not good (Score:2)
Those freedoms don't prohibit very many of the horrors humanity has commited. They are a very limited view on a very complex world.
Re: (Score:2)
His argument is the same one we saw in RMS threads. It's almost like people don't understand the fundamental principles of the movement they're part of.
Re: (Score:2)
Is this stuff being posted by Slashdot editors? I've actually had legitimate comments flagged as ASCII art, so I find it hard to believe an Anon can post this much repeating ASCII characters without being flagged.
Re: This is not goebbels (Score:2)
Is this stuff being posted by Slashdot editors? I've actually had legitimate comments flagged as ASCII art, so I find it hard to believe an Anon can post this much repeating ASCII characters without being flagged.
I've had shit flagged as "ASCII Art" simply because I began and ended a sentence (of real words!) with an ellipsis, FFS!
Just one of many examples proving that Slashdot has got to have the worst web coders on the planet!
Re: (Score:2)
I'm back and forth .. However .. I do NOT like Windows.. at home I have a machine that dual boots it so I can run games that won't run on linux. At work we are allowed to have development VM's which most everyone has Linux, Windblows is locked down so tight it can barely run outlook and office, let alone dev tools. I do work in a SCIF, but if everyone took security that seriously then we wouldn't have the issues we have and developers that had to run Windows, would be running on Window's vm's under
Re: (Score:2)
"BTW Ubuntu supports my RX580 video card really, really well so why do I need Windows again ???"
"so I can run games that won't run on linux"
Agreed. (Score:5, Insightful)
My distaste for Windows has nothing to do with an inability to run Linux apps under it.
I dislike Windows because of all the spying, dark patterns in configuration that trick me into leaving the spying in place, updates that turn the spying back on, an install-and-setup process that forces me to have a Microsoft account (or has dark patterns that trick me into thinking it is required), baked-in advertisements, and treating me like the product despite the fact that I had to pay for windows.
Increasing compatibility between the two doesn't address any of those problems. So, no Windows for me, even if that means some games are off the table.
Re: (Score:3)
I forgot to include: dark patterns that trick me into using other Microsoft services that I don't want, pre-installed bloatware, popup options that try to talk me out of using non-Microsoft products when I set them up, and Microsoft's long history of evil deeds including monopolistic behavior and funding obviously bogus lawsuits against Linux providers.
Those last two were more about the company than the product, but they DO make me wary of the product.
Re: (Score:2)
Remember embrace,extend,extingquish anyone?
Remember it? We not only remember it, we studied it in detail. And if you did too you'd realise that this isn't EEE because the market conditions existing for the Linux OS don't to allow that strategy, what is happening here is not the same strategy being followed for EEE, it's not possible to conduct EEE on a FOSS desktop by getting it to run in another OS, the Linux desktop isn't remotely a competitor to Microsoft so it makes no sense to go after it, and above all Microsoft makes stupid amounts of money p
Re:This is not good (Score:4, Interesting)
You are wrong. This is absolutely brilliant.
OS/2 did this with Windows. Running every Windows program, claiming to be a "better Windows than Windows". In response, many companies dropped OS/2 support, because the Windows versions of their programs worked so well on OS/2.
This means that many open source programs can drop their Windows compatibility. LibreOffice, Firefox and so on, just dump the Windows frameworks and release for WSL2.
(Obviously LibreOffice and Firefox are not actually going to drop their native Windows GUI, since they have enough developers to handle multiple platforms. However, for smaller teams like Wireshark it must be a very tempting option.)
This is litteraly happening now. (Score:5, Interesting)
In response, many companies dropped OS/2 support, because the Windows versions of their programs worked so well on OS/2.
This means that many open source programs can drop their Windows compatibility. {...} However, for smaller teams like Wireshark it must be a very tempting option.)
This is litteraly happening right now with scientific software, specially in bioinformatics:
the Bioconda software repository [github.io] only supports exclusively Linux or Mac OS X (currently on x86_64 only, there are talks to follow the lead of Conda forge and bring it to Aarch64 too, given that Apple M1 is a thing and that ARM-based cluster start to pop-up here and there).
There a multiple bioinformatics project whose answer regarding Windows support boils down to "Just install the Linux version under WSL or WSL2".
(Case in point the pipeline we developped to sequence viruses and are currently using in our national sequencing effrots here [github.io]).
There's a whole world where any extra dev work force will never go toward making the damn thing work under Windows, but will go instead toward improving it on Unices.
Re: (Score:2)
Yep, this is just their slow-moving attempt at absorping and corrupting Linux (and a way to build telemetry into it).
Look for MS to put out stuff that's ostensibly "linux compatible" but will only run properly under the Windows Subsystem for Linux. And of course it'll phone home to "help the user experience".
I give it a year, tops, before we see stuff like that. And who knows, maybe another year or two until they come out with "MS Linux".
...or call it windows 11. (Score:2)
Look for MS to put out stuff that's ostensibly "linux compatible" but will only run properly under the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
This is going to be hard (but not impossible) to pull off without some violation to GPL.
And who knows, maybe another year or two until they come out with "MS Linux".
I would be only half surprised if by then Microsoft simply decides to call their custom proprietary Linux distro "Windows 11", slap some proprietary DirectX compatibility layer and be done with it.
Re: (Score:2)
This is going to be hard (but not impossible) to pull off without some violation to GPL.
It'll be done 30 seconds after their lawyers come up with some way to ratfuck the GPL.
Re: ...or call it windows 11. (Score:2)
This would be smart. The NT kernel is too far gone and would require a lot of investment to rebuild from scratch. Microsoft provides more patches to Linux kernel than anyone else lately. Why is that and it canâ(TM)t all be about Azure. MS Linux will also likely be a free OS.
Re: (Score:2)
I agree with you. Windows is still designed to take away freedom being the black box that it is. Microsoft has not fundamentally changed its ways. It is just baiting people to use its black box OS. This is nothing at all to get excited about.
Re: (Score:2)
The Linux kernel is open source, Microsoft's fork of it is open source, you even have the freedom to make your own modifications to it then compile it and use that as the WSL2 kernel if you want to do that. And yes they could probably come up with some way to stop that if they wouldn't, which wouldn't make a whole lot of sense because at that point the whole thing loses all of it's value and everybody just goes back to running Linux in a VM or dual booting.
So why would you have restarted before? (Score:2)
At least I and most other people who need both windows and linux use virtual machines for that..
RAM, GPU, I/O, Vbox extension EULA, Windows EULA (Score:2)
People might have restarted before for any of several reasons:
- Not enough RAM to run two operating systems at once without thrashing swap. This remains a problem with WSL2 if your PC's mainboard new enough/big enough to officially support 8 GiB. A lot of off-lease PCs, for instance, come with 4 GB.
- Measured reduced GPU or I/O performance of a task run in a guest compared to the host.
- Inability to access peripherals from the guest OS without installing the VirtualBox extension pack whose EULA forbids use
WSL2 is the successor to Virtual PC (Score:5, Informative)
Windows Virtual PC [wikipedia.org] requires a host running Windows 7, no earlier, no later. Its successor on an operating system that still receives security updates is Hyper-V. Hyper-V works on Windows 8.1 and 10 Pro hosts, not Windows 8.1 or 10 Home. WSL2 is a distribution of Hyper-V for all Windows 10 editions, including Home, designed to run Linux guests.
Re: (Score:2)
That's actually good for those comfortable with Windows as a host. Ultimately that jibes with virtualization on the desktop becoming more common. Put all those multicore CPUs to work. [youtu.be].
Why reboot? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I agree with this. Being stuck in Microsoft's desktop shell is so constraining. I would say running good terminals under Windows might be appealing if I were stuck in Windows, as boring old Gnome Terminal and Konsole are massively better than any native Windows Terminals, despite MS' efforts to revitalize the terminal.
But I'd just as soon just run full on Linux, get the full experience and unfettered ability to trace anything as deep as I feel like (including the actual kernel source code)
Re: Why reboot? (Score:2)
I think you should reread the comment you replied to.
CORRECTION of incorrect quoting (Score:2)
Upon rereading, I now realize that I quoted the wrong part of the comment to which I was replying. Please allow me to try again, this time triple-checking to make sure I quoted the right part.
I would only use windows if I had programs that only ran in windows, and couldn't be handled by WINE.
Among my circles of friends, such programs include Adobe Creative Cloud, Apple iTunes, and Microsoft Office. These programs are built for Windows and macOS only, and their Windows editions were incompatible with Wine last I checked. I guess the alternative is to buy a Mac.
Re: (Score:2)
I use mine when I'm on a [dive] boat, in the middle of nowhere, and I need to know that photographs and/or video came out OK. But to avoid the need for multiple devices, I also have Office 2019 on
Welcome improvement, still not a replacement (Score:3)
Re: Welcome improvement, still not a replacement (Score:2)
If you're a web developer and not an admin or devops this is fine. Unix sockets have been ported to ladder versions of wsl for awhile. If you need a pro setup yeah hyper-v on Windows 10 pro and above for snapshots and virtual switches etc.
If you are not on modern hardware with 16 to 32 giga of ram and 8 core CPUs with fast ssds then wsl is a lighter option
While I admire the technicals (Score:3, Insightful)
There's simply NO WAY I'm running Windoze on a bare-metal box with an internet connection.
Its unwise.
Oh how sad the worldview (Score:4, Funny)
What you read:
Millions Can Now Run Linux GUI Apps in Windows 10
What Apple Mac users hear:
Millions Can Now Use Crayons to Write Fancy Script in A Bouncing Jalopy
Qft
Re: Oh how sad the worldview (Score:3, Funny)
What Apple Mac users actually hear:
Safari cannot open the page.
Re: (Score:2)
You can write fancy scripts after you open up iTerm2 and use brew to install newer libs and apps. And use the same Intellij or VS Code frontend as Linux and Windows users.
I'm thinking you aren't a Mac user and never have been.
Re: (Score:2)
On the other hand, a lot of FOSS software builds on a Mac with only ./configure && make && sudo make install
I will note that 1) you have to install the free developer command line tools; and 2) you’ll probably want / need to install GNU’s automake and autoconf (both of which build per the above), and probably libtool and pkg-config (this needs to be configured with the “with internal glib” flag) before trying to build anything else.
Of course there’s also framewo
Re: (Score:2)
Plus brew has this problem (another issue I have with the way users treat it like a black box):
https://applehelpwriter.com/20... [applehelpwriter.com]
Re: (Score:2)
That's an interesting development... (Score:2)
Maybe this will help others make a similar move. (Score:3)
Maybe this will help others make a similar move.
They can try out, and familiarize themselves with, Linux tools for their workflows, without having to abandon the Windows platform and its tools. Once they have their workflow entirely, or nearly, on Linux tools, they can use Linux for the OS under their next upgrade. They can run any still-Windows workflow dribbles under WIN
Re: (Score:2)
They can run any still-Windows workflow dribbles under WINE if possible, go to the old still-running-windows machine if not, or figure out how to them on Linux tools, too.
There's so much power [youtu.be] one doesn't even need to play the "pick-and-choose" game. Run it all under whatever one wants. Several at the same time. At this point that old saying "it's the apps stupid" applies.
ISVs (Score:2)
There may be an up-side. If an ISV wants its software to run on Windows and Linux... it only needs to develop for Linux now.
Re: (Score:3)
More likely they would turn it into a browser app (which would have similar effect). Easier to 'install' for their users, and a handy excuse to migrate one-time-buyers to monthly renting.
An ISV demanding that the user first install Linux and then do a linux installation to use their software would be a pain.
Re: (Score:2)
There may be an up-side. If an ISV wants its software to run on Windows and Linux... it only needs to develop for Linux now.
Yes now they only need to develop a dozen different versions of their software targeting specific versions of specific distributions of Linux.
Why? (Score:5, Interesting)
I recently acquired an older (but still 64 bit) Dell laptop from a friend because "it won't charge". The charging problem is due to a firmware revision that shut down the handshake between the battery controller, charger and laptop. Simple fix: revert the firmware back to the original factory configuration. And then load Linux. There is no more Windows. No you can't shut down my hardware anymore by pushing unwanted patches to my system.
Re: (Score:2)
So you blame Windows for Dell writing bad firmware?
Re: (Score:2)
I read it as blaming Windows for making it impractical to revert Dell's bad firmware.
Re: (Score:2)
Pretty much this. The default Windows policy seems to be to update everything. And they don't make it easy to pin a particular version. If you even know that the newer one could be harmful.
"Do you really, really want to lock this version?" "Yes."
Next month: "Do you really, really, really want to lock this version?" We introduced another 'really' without telling you. Good luck, sucker.
Windows and Firmware (Score:2)
The charging problem is due to a firmware revision that shut down the handshake between the battery controller, charger and laptop. And then load Linux. There is no more Windows. No you can't shut down my hardware anymore by pushing unwanted patches to my system.
AFAIK Windows update will NOT push firmware updates to systems.
Only drivers.
Re: (Score:2)
My Surface tablet begs to disagree.
Re: (Score:2)
This is outdated info, MS has firmware updates pushed to devices if the vendor plays along, and they push *hard* on the vendors to play along. Of course, this is usually a good thing, since it's easier to keep firmware up to date, though as this thread points out, sometimes vendors botch a configuration and does not care or know about the specific issue.
Windows developer machine? LOLWUT? (Score:3)
"so that all the tools and workflows of Linux run on your developer machine."
Yeah and then maybe you can install Wine so that all the games of Windows run on your gaming machine? The quote from John McAffee about hiring a hooker to do his taxes while he fucked his accountant is very relevant here...
Is this just VNC? (Score:3)
If there is no way to actually map video memory into the client program's address space, then this is no better than VNC. Where's the actual OpenGL support?
Windows, MacOS, ChromeOS and Linux (Score:2)
This is actually pretty nifty for developers for the 4 most used Desktop OSs.
There are not many popular Crossplatform IDEs/Frameworks that run on MacOS. And as per the EULA of the mac, MacOS can only run on Apple Hardware.
So, you buy an Intel mac (while available), you run Windows on Bootcamp, develop on a CrossPlatform IDE/Framework on Windows, use WSL to test on Linux, then run OSX on a VM (possible only on Apple hardware as per the OSX license) to do the notarization and all the other walled-garden-bits.
Windows has always belonged in a virtual machine (Score:3)
Asking for a friend.
LoB
Re: (Score:3)
It's turtles all the way down.
Re: (Score:2)
Nested virtualization [webopedia.com] is the term you're looking for.
How is it implemented? (Score:2)
I haven't been a Windows user is years, so this may be a dumb question. Does this mean Windows is going to provide an X server of sorts to render the Linux GUI? Or is this some kind of translation layer that converts the X calls and passes them on to be rendered by the Windows GUI?
It sounds interesting, but I'm not sure it's interesting enough to get a Windows box to experiment with.
I'm done with linux (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
I'm done with windows, no more tricky installations with extra drivers and software needing multiple reboots. Linux Mint is a godsend.
2021 is finally the Year of Desktop Linux (Score:3)
First they ignore you (Score:3)
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then they roll out Windows Subsystem for Linux.
Re: (Score:2)
There's only one thing missing: Then *they* win.
Microsoft profits hugely of running Linux their infrastructure. Half of all Azure instances are built on the backs of free software.
Windows is still ugly (Score:3)
One of the key reasons my desktop is Mint, is that I find Windows to be the most HIDEOUS UI available these days. Can't see how this would make me want to run Windows.
Why WSL2 only? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Cygwin (Score:5, Interesting)
I've been using Cygwin since almost forever.
First used it back when a company's "desktop policy" was Windows 95. There were Sun workstations in the lab, but that was a huge productivity hit (fewer machines than programmers, travel between office and lab with documentation), so most of us used the Cygwin X server and shared the Suns in real time.
I keep a dual-boot Windows 7/10 laptop around for the very few corner cases where I am away from my LAN, and Linux/OpenBSD are not quite the right tool. Its twin, which gets more use runs, those. The Wintop, has Cygwin installed, and almost no Windows applications.
I may, eventually, try WSL, but I cannot imagine that this is anything but a ploy to allow corporate IT to shove Windows down every programmers' throat, rather than letting them use VMs on a Linux host.
Almost done (Score:2)
Now, just get rid of the Windows part and we're all set.
Re: (Score:2)
You know, they may actually be planning to do that. Of course, they will botch it, it is MS we are talking about after all.
Run up a VM .... (Score:2)
...and run Linux
Why run both on one, I can't see any advantage, and loads of downsides
Re: (Score:3)
WSL 2 is basically a VM. It boots a real Linux kernel, accelerated through hyper-v.
But with tighter integration, supposedly, than virtualbox or wmware.
(WSL 1 tried to emulate Linux system calls upon the NT kernel)
Vacation in prison (Score:2)
This is like saying that inmates in a prison can now go camping in the woods -- as long as the woods are inside the prison.
What is new here? (Score:2)
This has been possible for a long time with cygwin. Ok, this is now "native", but for UNIX/UNIX-like software that does not mean a lot. That limitation is meaningful only for the non-compatible, closed "MS Windows" platform, that does not even have support for most hardware.
Run Them Like Crap (Score:2)
Why in the world? (Score:2)
Why in the world would I run Windows just to run a Linux app?
If I want to run a Linux app, I boot and run Linux. If I want to run a Windows app, I boot Windows in a VM on my Linux system, and run the app in the VM. And it all works just fine.
perplexed (Score:2)
I'm perplexed, why would anyone boot windows to do linux development ?
Linux is a development machine.
Don't know what Windows is,
oh, yes I do,
it's the shite my wife uses for her work computer
The number of times it fails is appalling.
Re: Nautilus is even worse than File Explorer (Score:2)
Because the command line is better than any file manager, so why bother?
Re: (Score:2)
That's weird. I like all of them: Thunar, Konqueror, Caja, Dolphin, PCManFM-Qt,.... Although I really have never used Nautilus.
Re: (Score:2)
Your thoughts are running in the same direction as mine, my friend. I grew up on Windows, so I don't like to leave it behind. But my next software upgrade will be to Linux, not to Win 10 or whatever follows it.