Live data from Hacker News

Windows Subsystem for Linux is out of beta

blogs.msdn.microsoft.com

101–110 of 231 posts

Re: Windows Subsystem for Linux is out of beta

#101
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The linux filesystem has to be segregated from the windows filesystem. If I remember correctly, the linux FS can read from windows FS, but not write to it, due to locking issues. Or something like that. Whatever it was, it made me discount it as a way to write windows code. Instead, I'm using Git Bash, which is based on mingw

You can definitely write to the windows file system from WSL, so long as you don't need admin privileges to do it. I use it at work and 99% of the files I edit are in a windows controlled drive.

For me, reading and writing works, but I have major performance issues on /mnt/. `git status` for example is unreasonably slow on any directory under /mnt/.

I tried to adapt to this by instead of writing to the Windows file system from Linux; to instead write to the Linux file system from Windows. After corrupting my profile 3x and having to reinstall WSL each time, I went back to vagrant[1].

[1] vagrant is also really slow on Windows.

Re: Windows Subsystem for Linux is out of beta

#103
post #80
post #75

I really hope they make WSL's /home/. symlink to /mnt/c/users/. by default. What's the point of having a separate filesystem and home directory? I want native POSIX in Windows. The WSL implementation feels like... not that.

The linux filesystem has to be segregated from the windows filesystem. If I remember correctly, the linux FS can read from windows FS, but not write to it, due to locking issues. Or something like that. Whatever it was, it made me discount it as a way to write windows code. Instead, I'm using Git Bash, which is based on mingw

I believe you got it inverted. You cannot write on the WSL file system from Windows, but the other way (writing on windows from bash) is ok.

Re: Windows Subsystem for Linux is out of beta

#104

So is this complementary to the linux subsystem in windows, or a completely unrelated option?

I think you've fallen victim to Microsoft's somewhat awkward naming scheme - the Windows Subsystem for Linux is the name of the "linux subsystem in windows" that you're referring to. It's not complementary or unrelated, but the same thing.

God that's an atrocious name.

Re: Windows Subsystem for Linux is out of beta

#105
post #77

I hope my Macbook days would be over soon. After using Macbook Pro many years, I find good Windows machines are as reliable as Mac's ones. Apple products are usually overpriced, much less options for hardware accessories and upgrades, very expensive to fix. I have to keep running both Mac & Windows machines which is very inconvenient sometimes.

Which laptop manufactures have you found to be as reliable and well put together as macbooks? I haven't had too much luck with dells or lenovos.

I highly recommend Samsung ATIV Book 9. In my opinion they are better than macbooks. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X19MJZZ/ref=psdc_13896615011_t3...

Re: Windows Subsystem for Linux is out of beta

#106
post #77

I hope my Macbook days would be over soon. After using Macbook Pro many years, I find good Windows machines are as reliable as Mac's ones. Apple products are usually overpriced, much less options for hardware accessories and upgrades, very expensive to fix. I have to keep running both Mac & Windows machines which is very inconvenient sometimes.

Which laptop manufactures have you found to be as reliable and well put together as macbooks? I haven't had too much luck with dells or lenovos.

I really like the Surface Pro. It's a very nice combo of a tablet & a laptop with lots of power like a laptop. I've used Dell's XPS & Inspiron models. They've last quite long. Their hardware does fail after 4+ years, but acceptable and replaceable and they're inexpensive to replace. I do own a Windows desktop with Xeon core, and it's very powerful PC. Its price is probably 1/4 of the Mac Pro. Definitely not HPs, they're bad computers, both laptops and desktop. Thinkpads are good, but I've never tried one after Lenovo took over.

Re: Windows Subsystem for Linux is out of beta

#107
post #92
post #77

I hope my Macbook days would be over soon. After using Macbook Pro many years, I find good Windows machines are as reliable as Mac's ones. Apple products are usually overpriced, much less options for hardware accessories and upgrades, very expensive to fix. I have to keep running both Mac & Windows machines which is very inconvenient sometimes.

> I find good Windows machines are as reliable as Mac's ones. Yes. But they are still fugly.

I am sorry I prefer an ugly device which is more powerful and provides more value for the money for less than half of the price of its competitor.

Re: Windows Subsystem for Linux is out of beta

#108
post #90

Only $300 a license.

Isn’t there a way to get a free beta version? I got an image once for Virtual Box.

Why would you want to?

Windows is for corporates putting spreadsheets in front of coin counters.

For everything else there is Linux (or FreeBSD), which is probably why Micro$oft is porting SQL server to it.

Re: Windows Subsystem for Linux is out of beta

#109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a pretty interesting design -- Microsoft created a new class of processes called pico processes; these are native processes run without the normal Win32 overhead and are managed by a special pico process driver. For WSL, the driver implements the Linux kernel API and process loading. Linux API calls are mapped to existing Windows APIs or implemented directly in the driver. Everything else in the WSL is the regul…

This is possible because Dave Cutler and the rest of his VMS team built Windows NT to support multiple personalities. From day one the Win32 subsystem was just one of several. That idea got sidelined when Windows became so popular but the core has always been there. It's kinda funny: the Windows NT kernel (and Executive, the actual native API) are a single-root object hierarchy where everything gets mounted - much li…

> This is possible because Dave Cutler and the rest of his VMS team built Windows NT to support multiple personalities.

Although it would seem logical, the WSL doesn't actually use this system. The whole pico process engine and how it interacts with Windows is all new and not related to that design. I'm not really sure the reasoning behind it; perhaps it didn't allow them to do the level of integration they wanted.

Re: Windows Subsystem for Linux is out of beta

#110
post #92
post #77

I hope my Macbook days would be over soon. After using Macbook Pro many years, I find good Windows machines are as reliable as Mac's ones. Apple products are usually overpriced, much less options for hardware accessories and upgrades, very expensive to fix. I have to keep running both Mac & Windows machines which is very inconvenient sometimes.

> I find good Windows machines are as reliable as Mac's ones. Yes. But they are still fugly.

I don't think they're. There're many great ones, very powerful & slick designs. I think you fall into Apple's illusions.
Post reply on HN