Linux on Windows 10

[ElPoco]

It's true that there's a bit of EEE, It's intended for developers who need both access to Windows applications and some Linux build tools and it might ensure that they don't just switch to Linux+Wine... But knowing how Microsoft works nowadays, I'm not sure the intent was truly to prevent that switch. In any case, I really doubt Microsoft cares enough about that tiny part of users to have teams working on that kind of projects.
So I'd expect this to be something that was initially developed internally for some Microsoft developers and that they decided to publish for other developers.

Last time I talked to managers at Microsoft, they told me that they were now more about embracing to benefit from rather than embracing to extinguish. A good example is their support for Linux servers in their cloud solutions. This way, they can sell reliable cloud solutions without having to actually develop all the server stuff.

If you want EEE today, you better look at Google. These past years, they've been killing IMAP support on GMail by adding compulsory OAuth authentication that requires specific support in e-mail clients. This is a textbook example of EEE: offer GMail as a standard e-mail service, extend it with nice features and then close it down so that you can only use it on their terms. Android could also be seen as something similar for a Linux-based mobile OS.

 

[WizardStan]

Gnu nash Windows.
Gnash Windows, if you will.

 

[TrashyMG]

the Windows that broke the GNUs back...

 

[PowerGod]

No, what's closed source is the link between bash and the Windows API. Which is not the same thing at all.

You are right, seems like I read too many misleading articles... after watching the keynote now it's all more clear, they just added a "user mode" to Windows "somehow like" how it works on linux, and in that mode is run a complete Linux distribution made expecially for this from Ubuntu.

So, it's not at all about bash, as I read everywhere, "bash" is just the command that triggers to start the linux environment, then you are using a full linux distro with it's own kernel

 

[rygD]

Gnu inequality Windows ?

So the full name is "GNU's Not Unix inequality Windows", which doesn't do it for me.

Gnash Windows

This does work for me.

the Windows that broke the GNUs back...

I like it. There is also enough there for some interesting (and maybe colorful, if the color is red) imagery.

 

[comradekingu]

GNU≫Windows GNU∉Windows Windows≜Cancer

GNU apartheid (Windows.) Rolls off the tongue.

 

[vcoleiro1]

Looks like you might be able to get Suse and Fedora also under Win 10, along with Ubuntu

https://liliputing.com/2017/05/soon-youll-able-use-suse-fedora-windows-10-addition-ubuntu.html

 

[Grench]

Microsoft: Windows users can now use Linux applications! You can simply use Windows as your OS and have access to Ubuntu, Suse and Fedora!

Reality: They enabled some command line Linux functions. There is no GUI support and no direct support for graphical applications. (Yes, some users are hacking some support for some applications in - which is not the same as direct support.)

Normal User: What is all this command line stuff? Is THAT Linux? THAT sucks! No way am I switching to that. The guy at the office who's been pushing for people to try Linux is an idiot!

If Microsoft wanted to 'Embrace Linux', then they could simply sell Linux versions of MS Office (LibreOffice is great - but MS Office use with dependent plugins is ubiquitous in business) and Silverlight (becoming rapidly obsolete).

 

[PowerGod]

Seems pretty clear to me that they added this thing just to make developers of multiplattform things stick to Visual Studio... now there are no excuses to change environment, you can just compile linux things from there... so there was no point in making it user-friendly too

 

[___]

What's the latest news on this whole mess? When I was training for my 98-366 certificate, I got to use some windows server VMs and there was an option to install this compatibility layer as a server role. there was a remark that the function is now obsolete. Could it be, that they are getting rid of the whole thing again?

EDIT: Nevermind, that might have been windows server 2012 R2 only... just read up on it.

I don't think they are trying to make normal users stick to windows with a bad linux experience. You apparently need to turn on all kinds of hidden "developer mode" switches in win 10 in order to use the linux extensions.

Pretty much worthless for normal users and for linux users. Only reason I can see is for developers who are not able to switch the OS (locked down workstations?). Powergod ninjad me...

 

[levi]

I wonder what fs drivers this stuff ends up using. I guess it might be some compatibility layer into the standard NT drivers, meaning filesystem performance will be slow windows plus whatever slowness this extra layer introduces. Compiling anything meaningful on that will be pretty horrible.

 

[elwing]

Seems to me that if you want a Linux on you Windows machine, a vm would be the way to go rather than probably clunky environment...

 

[ptitSeb]

I do use WSL at work. Main developpement is on Windows + VS (not really a surprise), and having WSL makes compiling on Linux more easy,as you can share the same source tree and just test the Linux directly. I also have a VM for more serious Linux work, but in that case, I cannot share Windows / Linux source tree directly and I need to use the source code revision system... That's fine, but it's less handy.
So yeah, WSL is clearly headed for developper, to avoid loosing market share... (and yeah, filesystem access are kindof slow in WSL, and the inability to create any cifs mount point can be really annoying).
In a similar move to keep developer using VisualStudio, VS can now handle Android project (IOS also it seems), and VS is now available on Mac... And let's not forget the opensource VS Code initiative (that I found pretty good, especially on Linux)...

 

[elwing]

Nice to know it is useful for such scenarios, thanks for the input.