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Bash on Ubuntu on Windows

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Re: Bash on Ubuntu on Windows

#231

Can anyone comment to how nice or awful running some sort of Linux VM (maybe under Hyper-V) and using Putty to SSH to it for development on Windows would be? This work is promising, but doesn't appear "quite there", yet. I run OSX now, but don't really ever develop directly on the machine and am mostly SSH'ed to Linux hosts for development.

I'm using a combination of Ubuntu Server 16.04 VM (4GB RAM, 2-cores, 80GB HDD) + Virtualbox + MobaXterm (best SSH client on Windows). It works beautifully. I previously used Putty but it's a bit sparse regarding some options and gets confused sometimes when sending key codes via SSH session. Also I get the option of either using the Vbox shared folders or using the included SFTP client in MobaXterm that follows the current folder you're currently located in the terminal. It's a simple drag and drop. It even has a XServer included so I can run Linux desktop apps on Windows.

I got tired of running Linux directly on my desktop. Compiz crashes (worked in 14.04, not working in 14.10, started working again in 15.04, not working in 15.10...), can't keep my select sound output, terrible font rendering, awful HiDPI support, graphics drivers are a mess, and on and on...

Since I basically just need the non-graphical parts of Linux (Bash + Tmux + Vim) I'm very happy with this setup.

PS: Forgot to say that I have a very beefy machine (Skylake Core i7 4Ghz, 32GB DDR4, fastest consumer NVMe SSD from Samsung) but I've found that this setup works well on basically any machine.

Re: Bash on Ubuntu on Windows

#232
post #49

I am a little scared from the distinction we are start to make between "computers" and "developers' computers" In most computer nowadays you cannot code (tables and smartphones), are computers doomed to be an expensive tool for few "nerd" ? What will be the impact on computer literacy ?

It's more broad than that. The distinction lies in production versus consumption devices. Tablets and phones are consumption. You can't do any serious work on them - development included. This is why laptops and computers have stuck around in spite of the proliferation of cheap, tiny, elegant consumption devices. So no, I don't think laptops and computers will go away for non-nerds, just for people who don't produce…

I would put Instagram or SnapChat firmly into the production column. While many do not like the "output" of this production, that does not change the fact.

And a lot of music creation apps exist for tablets/phones.

This production/consumption divide is too rigid.

Re: Bash on Ubuntu on Windows

#233

As I understand it, Microsoft has copied the Linux kernel system call interfaces and provided their own underlying implementation. Given that Microsoft supported Oracle's view that the structure, sequence, and organization of the Java programming interfaces were covered by copyright law, then surely they would also agree that the same holds true for the Linux kernel system call interfaces. I don't like the APIs-are-c…

libc is LGPL. The "problem" you're highlighting here is EXACTLY opposite what the entire open source movement was designed to prevent. It couldn't be less of an issue.

Re: Bash on Ubuntu on Windows

#234
post #49

I am a little scared from the distinction we are start to make between "computers" and "developers' computers" In most computer nowadays you cannot code (tables and smartphones), are computers doomed to be an expensive tool for few "nerd" ? What will be the impact on computer literacy ?

Have you met an average user? The mandatory updates, lack of permissions and sandboxing are only a good thing for a user with typical computer literacy level. Hell, even lack of window management in iOS/Android systems is making UX much more easier to understand for majority of users I know. My granddad, who was an excellent mechanical engineer, have been using computers for the last 20 years, and he still struggles…

Have you met an average user?

I don't think anyone ever has.

Re: Bash on Ubuntu on Windows

#235
post #233

As I understand it, Microsoft has copied the Linux kernel system call interfaces and provided their own underlying implementation. Given that Microsoft supported Oracle's view that the structure, sequence, and organization of the Java programming interfaces were covered by copyright law, then surely they would also agree that the same holds true for the Linux kernel system call interfaces. I don't like the APIs-are-c…

libc is LGPL. The "problem" you're highlighting here is EXACTLY opposite what the entire open source movement was designed to prevent. It couldn't be less of an issue.

I'm not talking about libc. I'm talking about the kernel system call interfaces. They are defined by the kernel, not libc.

Re: Bash on Ubuntu on Windows

#236
post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to http://stackoverflow.com/a/868290/259130 function directory-summary($dir=".") { get-childitem $dir | % { $f = $_ ; get-childitem -r $_.FullName | measure-object -property length -sum | select @{Name="Name";Expression={$f}},Sum} } I could get a shorter non exact version if I was on windows.

Or you can just download du.exe from SysInternals to get a du-like tool.

[deleted]

Re: Bash on Ubuntu on Windows

#237
post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to http://stackoverflow.com/a/868290/259130 function directory-summary($dir=".") { get-childitem $dir | % { $f = $_ ; get-childitem -r $_.FullName | measure-object -property length -sum | select @{Name="Name";Expression={$f}},Sum} } I could get a shorter non exact version if I was on windows.

that's almost as easy as just typing "du -sh"

Add that function (or whatever combo of attributes you want to see on a regular basis) to your PowerShell profile, as well as this line:

New-Alias -Name "du" -Value "Directory-Summary"

Re: Bash on Ubuntu on Windows

#238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not recent; this developer-user split has been growing for a few years now: http://boingboing.net/2012/08/23/civilwar.html http://boingboing.net/2012/01/10/lockdown.html ...and RMS predicted this almost 20 years ago: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.en.html I think the rise of P2P, file sharing, and the openness of the Internet in the last decade significantly narrowed the developer-user gap; and it's…

> motivated by corporations' desire to maintain control over their users. I think that's only one factor, and not a majority one. Most users don't want to have to deal with "how it works". They want a simple, easy to use tool that works reliably... And they want to call someone to "fix it" when it "breaks". That's how it works with plumbing, cars, landline phones, stereo components, televisions, and all the electroni…

The problem with push button service is that you need people interacting at the backend to make the magic happen. Those people cost money. If you try to provide apple-level simplicity at google-level prices you won't be able to afford those people. Google itself is a fine example. It works well, until it doesn't, and then you're stuck. Providing a power user interface on a consumer level product is imho a necessity if you leave problems up to the user to solve. At least it gives them a chance of getting unstuck.

Re: Bash on Ubuntu on Windows

#239
post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's more broad than that. The distinction lies in production versus consumption devices. Tablets and phones are consumption. You can't do any serious work on them - development included. This is why laptops and computers have stuck around in spite of the proliferation of cheap, tiny, elegant consumption devices. So no, I don't think laptops and computers will go away for non-nerds, just for people who don't produce…

I would put Instagram or SnapChat firmly into the production column. While many do not like the "output" of this production, that does not change the fact. And a lot of music creation apps exist for tablets/phones. This production/consumption divide is too rigid.

I think we need a better set of words for this, but I'd still put Instagram and SnapChat on the consumption side - "producing" a photo and maybe applying a sticker and a filter isn't really production. Those features are designed to spruce up the photo that is fed directly into the consumption loop without much context or sense to it.

Now don't get me wrong - while I only use the two a little, I think they're fine. It's communication, an important part of human experience. But, at least in my mind, Instagram and Snapchat fall firmly into the same group as browsing Facebook or 9gag, as opposed to e.g. making a let's play video or a comic strip.

Re: Bash on Ubuntu on Windows

#240
post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's also a reason people in the same room don't communicate by tapping buttons with letters on them.

We do that a lot; for technical stuff it is often many times more efficient than talking. Edit: And easier to search, remember, read again and the less nice variant of that; 'you never said that to me' 'I did: ' copy/paste.

I can't say I've found any scenarios where talking to someone is many times less efficient than typing them a message. There are certainly times where it's helpful to supplement conversation with code, but that's a different story.

Regarding being easier to search and read it again, it seems like there are potential technical solutions to that problem, but I would agree that we're not there yet.

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