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X410 – X Server for Windows 10

x410.dev

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Re: X410 – X Server for Windows 10

#151

Post by jdellinger »

skrebbel wrote: post #108
jdellinger wrote: post #41

Does anyone want to share how they use the WSL2 & X-Server combination? In my case, I'm mostly happy with the VSCode WSL2 integration. I keep all my projects on the linux fs and it is fast to work with. The only thing which annoys me is the window management in Windows. Too much Mouse movement and random ALT-TAB-ing. I've never got i3 to work with a Windows x server on multiple displays with high dpi. X401 also only…

I'm curious, I always thought that devs who choose Windows do so because they like the window management and the UI tools etc. That's my reason for sure. What's stopping you from just running proper Linux with VS Code, if you don't like the way the Windows shell works?

IMO several reasons still exist for windows:

* Corp Policy * Gaming * Professional Tools (Photoshop etc.) * Ease of Use

I tried concepts like dual booting windows & linux, but in the end they often created a mental barrier ("Ugh, I could do some work but I would've to reboot"). With WSL2 and PowerToys I'm 90% happy. The missing 10% is a better window navigation via keyboard concept.

Re: X410 – X Server for Windows 10

#152

Post by notyourday »

29athrowaway wrote: post #110
erikbye wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I use Linux everyday. But misrepresenting the desktop experience isn't going to get people to switch. I really enjoy the endless battle with tearing, which sometimes is fixed, other times not. I also enjoy the battle of multi-monitor setup with different DPIs and scaling issues, mixing 1440p and 4k monitors. As for browser hardware acceleration, hell, even on Windows, Firefox (on my end, and for many others) have s…

I use Linux every day and your narrative doesn't add up. I haven't done any configuration other than installing the GPU driver, that comes conveniently packaged in my distro. I don't have a Windows VM. I don't have a last generation video card or anything of the sort. This is my perspective: 1) HiDPI issues are indeed annoying, but in 2020 much of it is gone. 2) I don't have the video problem you are describing. 4K 6…

I have a fairly kick-ass Linux setup. Several 4k monitors. Two additional Linux VMs using virgl for host-based acceleration over virtio GPU to GTX 1060. It works rather well - I can play youtube videos with sound from a guest Linux vm.

I want to run current Lightroom/Photoshop (preferably also Premiere but I will take the first two). It should run in a window, whether the window is the entire Windows 10 desktop or just Lightroom/Photoshop is immaterial. I am not interested in adding a second video card and connecting it to a dedicated monitor for a Windows guest.

How do I do that? I'm not interested in hearing "Use GIMP"/etc

Re: X410 – X Server for Windows 10

#153

Post by cercatrova »

Jemm wrote: post #144
cercatrova wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://looking-glass.hostfission.com/wiki/Installation Also check out their GitHub and quickstart, they have more details. The main thing is you have to run it both on Linux and Windows.

Does GPU pass through mean that gaming in a Windows Guest is still an good option?

Yes that's actually what Looking Glass was mainly built for, you can game without using a program like Barrier or Synergy to pass inputs back and forth, and you can game on one window and have your work on the other, so context switching is a lot easier. Performance is basically 95%+ of native speed.

Re: X410 – X Server for Windows 10

#154

Post by cercatrova »

manicbits wrote: post #147
cercatrova wrote: post #123

For a somewhat alternative if you want to run both Linux and Windows, you can run Linux natively and then run Windows in a VM with GPU passthrough. Then you can use Looking Glass which sends the Windows pixels to a Linux window with native performance. For the Linux machine, you can run it as a host or use something like Proxmox as a hypervisor if you need more VMs or containers. I use this setup to run Windows, macO…

Is there any difference in performance when compared to a dedicated second display?

There's about a 1% performance hit, and the VM will shave off a few percent as well, so you'll get 95% of native bare metal performance.

Re: X410 – X Server for Windows 10

#155

Post by toast0 »

datnoblesavage wrote: post #44
toast0 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't used this Xserver, but I've used most (all?) of the free Xservers for Windows over time. As background Windows is my preferred desktop environment for about the last ten years[1], but I do most of my "real work" on FreeBSD or Linux; having an Xserver on windows means I can do graphical work and have it mostly work. Utilitywise, I can do things like running an image viewer to see what pictures I have in a di…

What benefits do you see from running windows? I really see none as a software dev and os enthusiast. The only reason I kept windows so long was for a game that I stopped playing 2 years ago, and the only reason I have to use it now is because the company I currently work in has made us use it. WSL makes me embarrassed to show my work colleague how good linux/vim/tmux really is (but that might be because the laptop's…

> What benefits do you see from running windows?

I get to use the most tested version of all the cross platform software. Things that work for others, usually works for me. I can buy software off the shelf (games, TurboTax, whatever --- if they sell it at the store, it will run on Windows, unless I'm in the wrong store). Most desktop oriented open source is targetted towards Windows, unless it's specifically Mac focused.

When I was getting tired of my laptop running Linux was right around the release of Windows 7, which was a very nice release. I'm not sure I'll stick around with Windows 10, but at least for now, things mostly work, and I fight less with my computer than before.

Re: X410 – X Server for Windows 10

#156

Post by yrro »

AshamedCaptain wrote: post #136
yrro wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Come back to me when the UFO moves smoothly on this page: https://www.testufo.com/mprt#size=8

Even with an old Intel IGP it moves smoothly at 4k, framerate locked at 60fps of course. And this has nothing to do with "YouTube videos" which is a completely different animal.

Well here with 'Intel Corporation HD Graphics 620 (rev 02)' it's awful in Firefox and still has the odd hitch every few seconds with Chromium. Youtube videos are likewise not smooth.

Re: X410 – X Server for Windows 10

#157

Post by jng »

pritambaral wrote: post #61
jng wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there even a doubt? Windows has a chance at supporting the open, documented interfaces of Linux. Linux has no chance at supported the closed, undocumented interfaces of Linux.

> the closed, undocumented interfaces of Linux. Perhaps you meant "Windows"?

Indeed, thanks for the correction.

Re: X410 – X Server for Windows 10

#158

Post by cercatrova »

ktpsns wrote: post #148
cercatrova wrote: post #123

For a somewhat alternative if you want to run both Linux and Windows, you can run Linux natively and then run Windows in a VM with GPU passthrough. Then you can use Looking Glass which sends the Windows pixels to a Linux window with native performance. For the Linux machine, you can run it as a host or use something like Proxmox as a hypervisor if you need more VMs or containers. I use this setup to run Windows, macO…

This sounds really fantastic. Can you explain a bit more about the hardware requirements? If I have a decent notebook with an Intel-integrated GPU, how can I both passthrought the GPU to the VM and use it for rendering the GUI on the host?

It won't really work for laptops, at least without a lot of research and fiddling. You need a desktop with at least one GPU, for the guest. If you want to run the host as GUI, instead of headless, then you need a GPU for the host as well. You can shut down each guest and boot up another one but generally you'll need a GPU for each guest you want to run with a GUI, if you want proper hardware acceleration and if you want to run them simultaneously. I run on a 4 GPU system for example, one for the host and 3 for each OS.

However, for certain Intel systems, there is something called GVT-g which allows sharing one GPU with both the host and guest, as you mentioned. You can try that and see if it works, I'm not sure if it does on a laptop. Or if you don't really need GPU acceleration, just make a VM as you normally would. I suspect since you don't say whether the notebook has a dedicated GPU that you don't game and thus wouldn't necessarily need GPU acceleration.

Re: X410 – X Server for Windows 10

#159

Post by ngcc_hk »

ethanwillis wrote: post #69
RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most successful open source company ever (RedHat) made their whole business packaging up open source in a nice manner. People will pay for convenience and polish. Also, i would guess that Windows users are not likely to be free software purists and just wants something that works with a minimum of fuss. The price of software should be based on the value it provides to the user, not on what it cost to make it.

In general.. if things are being priced then the price should be based on what it costs to make it.. for the price floor. Otherwise you get a lot of perverse incentives.

It never was the model, even from day one? The service is not free, even if the code is. You can do it yourself fine. If you need somebody else effort not related to source, you should pay for it.

Re: X410 – X Server for Windows 10

#160

Post by NelsonMinar »

tomxor wrote: post #114

This is getting weird, you pay for windows to use WSL then pay $50 for an X server clone... who wants to try this hard to not use the Linux kernel?

People who want to run Windows software? If all you're doing is Linux and X then yeah, just run Linux.
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