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The Windows Subsystem for Linux is now open source

blogs.windows.com

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Re: The Windows Subsystem for Linux is now open source

#791

Post by b3lvedere »

gloosx wrote: post #781
jjcm wrote: post #151

When WSL came out I was absolutely overjoyed - finally an actual linux shell on windows! I use windows for my gaming pc, and I wanted to have a unified gaming/dev box. It felt like the solution. Over time though more and more small issues with it came up. Packages working not quite right, issues with the barriers between the two, etc. It always felt like there was a little bit more friction with the process. With Val…

I truly believe if AAA titles would not release for windows exclusively no-one would have a good reason to use windows really besides inertia.

The market is getting more diverse (mobile, steam deck alikes, laptops, consoles, etc), but i guess if you want to quickly earn the most money on your (huge) development investment, you better try and take the biggest piece of the pie first.

Personally i don't really believe in AAA (or UbiSoft's AAAA) titles that much anymore. Strange exclusivity for some console or device may bring some money early on, but i have plenty games in my Steam libary that could run perfectly under many platforms. And most AAA games heavily drop in price after a few months, Nintendo being the sole exception.

Re: The Windows Subsystem for Linux is now open source

#792

Post by bayindirh »

atoav wrote: post #773
reisse wrote: post #748

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just use Linux then? The whole point of Windows right now is having a kernel that a) does not shove GPL down the device manufacturer's throat and b) care about driver API stability so that drivers actually work without manufacturer or maintaner intervention every kernel upgrade.

Sure, but consider that some people might not be able to just make that choice in any given context. I was working as a freelancer wher a lot of my job meant interfacing with files other people made in Software that only runs reliably on Windows or Mac (and I tried regularly). So WSL provided me with a way to run Linux stuff without having to run a fat VM or dual boot. In fact my experience with WSL is probably why I…

I completely agree with you. WSL2 can be useful for many scenarios at its current form.

We tend to forget that "Horses for Courses" and "Your Mileage May Vary" applies way broader than we think.

Re: The Windows Subsystem for Linux is now open source

#793

Post by gowthamgts12 »

udev4096 wrote: post #724

I still can't believe how people use windows as their main system with all the extremely invasive telemetry and bogus "AI" features that hogs a LOT of resources at idle

i use it only for gaming. no developer i know personally uses windows. either they are on mac or linux.

Re: The Windows Subsystem for Linux is now open source

#794

Post by miroljub »

0xEF wrote: post #789
gloosx wrote: post #781

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I truly believe if AAA titles would not release for windows exclusively no-one would have a good reason to use windows really besides inertia.

Businesses would. The problem with that is you have decision makers in said businesses who don't know any better, so Microsoft-all-the-things gets pushed down the line. Offices are all trapped on Windows 10/11 and using Teams/Outlook with Exchange/Entra/Azure chugging along in all its misconfigured glory. Heck, half the MSPs I work side-by-side with seem to only offer support on Windows machines. It gets worse. When…

Yeah, I totally agree with what's being said here. It's a tough pill to swallow when you realize just how entrenched Microsoft is in the business world, and how difficult it would be to get everyone to make the switch to Linux.

I mean, think about it - most companies are still stuck on Windows 10 or 11, and they're using all those Microsoft services like Teams, Outlook, and Exchange. It's like they're trapped in this Microsoft ecosystem, and it's gonna take a lot more than just a few people saying "hey, let's switch to Linux" to get them out of it.

And don't even get me started on the IT departments in these places. A lot of them are just kids who memorized some CompTIA exams and don't really know what they're doing. They're using Windows 11 at home, but they have no idea how to deal with all the outdated Windows 7 machines that are still being used in manufacturing.

Microsoft, on the other hand, has been really smart about this. They've managed to get their products and services woven into the fabric of how we do business on a global scale. It's gonna take a lot more than just a few open-source projects to change that.

Re: The Windows Subsystem for Linux is now open source

#795

Post by bayindirh »

b3lvedere wrote: post #791
gloosx wrote: post #781

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I truly believe if AAA titles would not release for windows exclusively no-one would have a good reason to use windows really besides inertia.

The market is getting more diverse (mobile, steam deck alikes, laptops, consoles, etc), but i guess if you want to quickly earn the most money on your (huge) development investment, you better try and take the biggest piece of the pie first. Personally i don't really believe in AAA (or UbiSoft's AAAA) titles that much anymore. Strange exclusivity for some console or device may bring some money early on, but i have pl…

AAA and AAAA games became (expensive) gateways to microtransaction based money extraction application, in my opinion.

I enjoy older, smaller games nonproportionately more when compared to big titles which require much more resources and time. Yes they look nice, yes they use every documented and undocumented feature of my GPU, yes "it's so fluffy", but it is not enjoyable, esp. with shoved down microtransactions.

If we're talking FPS, give me any Half-Life (and Portal) title and I'm good. Gameplay first, unique art direction, good story, and a well built universe which is almost palpable with lore.

If we're talking RTS, C&C series, Dune Emperor, Supreme Commander and StarCraft is enough.

Re: The Windows Subsystem for Linux is now open source

#796

Post by smatija »

0xEF wrote: post #789
gloosx wrote: post #781

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I truly believe if AAA titles would not release for windows exclusively no-one would have a good reason to use windows really besides inertia.

Businesses would. The problem with that is you have decision makers in said businesses who don't know any better, so Microsoft-all-the-things gets pushed down the line. Offices are all trapped on Windows 10/11 and using Teams/Outlook with Exchange/Entra/Azure chugging along in all its misconfigured glory. Heck, half the MSPs I work side-by-side with seem to only offer support on Windows machines. It gets worse. When…

I would be very happy with Windows 7 on manufacturing side - lots of CNCs that are still in use and supported by manufacturers are still on Windows 98.

Re: The Windows Subsystem for Linux is now open source

#797

Post by zoklet-enjoyer »

miroljub wrote: post #794
0xEF wrote: post #789

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Businesses would. The problem with that is you have decision makers in said businesses who don't know any better, so Microsoft-all-the-things gets pushed down the line. Offices are all trapped on Windows 10/11 and using Teams/Outlook with Exchange/Entra/Azure chugging along in all its misconfigured glory. Heck, half the MSPs I work side-by-side with seem to only offer support on Windows machines. It gets worse. When…

Yeah, I totally agree with what's being said here. It's a tough pill to swallow when you realize just how entrenched Microsoft is in the business world, and how difficult it would be to get everyone to make the switch to Linux. I mean, think about it - most companies are still stuck on Windows 10 or 11, and they're using all those Microsoft services like Teams, Outlook, and Exchange. It's like they're trapped in this…

ChatGPT response

Re: The Windows Subsystem for Linux is now open source

#798

Post by wolvesechoes »

dTal wrote: post #504
thewebguyd wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can accomplish the same with Distrobox on Linux, but there's definitely something to be said about having the best of both worlds by running Windows + WSL. I honestly think Microsoft could win back some mind share from Apple if they: * Put out a version of windows without all the crap. Call it Dev edition or something and turn off or down the telemetry, preinstalled stuff, ads, and Copilot. * Put some effort into…

To the tech savvy, there is essentially only one advantage to running Windows, and that is the ability to run Windows-only software. In all technical respects - control, performance, flexibility - it is inferior to the alternatives. Don't confuse vendor lockin with technology. I find it dismaying that people on Hacker News willingly submit to incredibly user-hostile behavior from Microsoft and call it "the best of bo…

"I find it dismaying that people on Hacker News willingly submit to incredibly user-hostile behavior from Microsoft"

And I find it funny that the crowd that spends whole days implementing user-hostile features in yet another SaaS crapware has so much to say about Microsoft's bad behavior.

Re: The Windows Subsystem for Linux is now open source

#799

Post by tempaccount420 »

zoklet-enjoyer wrote: post #797
miroljub wrote: post #794

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I totally agree with what's being said here. It's a tough pill to swallow when you realize just how entrenched Microsoft is in the business world, and how difficult it would be to get everyone to make the switch to Linux. I mean, think about it - most companies are still stuck on Windows 10 or 11, and they're using all those Microsoft services like Teams, Outlook, and Exchange. It's like they're trapped in this…

ChatGPT response

Keep AI accusations to yourself, it's very rude when you get it wrong.

Re: The Windows Subsystem for Linux is now open source

#800

Post by baq »

Flamentono2 wrote: post #769
baq wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

openssh has been an optional windows component for... almost a decade now? including the server, so you can ssh into powershell as easily as into any unix-like. (last time I set it up there was some fiddling with file permissions required for key auth to work, but it does work.)

I feel old but its only 6 years not a decade :P

I guess 'before covid' and 'decade ago' is the same in my mind ;) I might have been using a preview build back then, too
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