Could it be? Really? The Year of Linux on the Desktop is almost here, and it's... Windows-shaped?
- Reference: 1589900409
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/05/19/wsl2_gui/
- Source link:
[1]WSL2 was quite the star of 2019's Build event and brought with it a tweaked Linux kernel, full system compatibility, and considerably snappier file performance. While its [2]predecessor , effectively a translation layer, was the technological tour de force, WSL2 did the previously unthinkable and dropped a Linux kernel into Windows.
Sadly, developers restricted to production machinery are still waiting to see the fruits of Microsoft's efforts. After last year's fanfare, the update was added to Windows 10 20H1 for Insiders to test. Alas, the ongoing delays in actually getting 20H1 out of preview and into general availability has left the new toys out of reach for many.
Not in 20H1 but announced at this year's Build is the arrival of GUI support for Linux apps running in WSL2 thanks to Wayland and RDP painting the app on the Windows desktop. Access to GPUs from Linux is also on the way.
The two features regularly top the list of "wants" from developers and will be welcomed by the community, even if the thought of a graphical Linux app nestling among the Windows might cause some long-time Microsoft watchers to pass coffee through their noses.
Users prepared to jump through a few hoops have been able to coax WSL into displaying graphical Linux apps for some time. Back in 2018, open-source startup Whitewater Foundry released a distro preconfigured for graphical shenanigans in the form of Debian-based [3]WLinux , which required the addition of a Windows X server to make the magic happen.
Now, according to Microsoft, "support for Linux graphical user interface (GUI) apps will enable you to open a WSL instance and run a Linux GUI app directly without the need for a third-party X server."
Hayden Barnes, Canonical senior developer advocate, told us the company had been looking at including an X Server in its own Microsoft Store distro but instead elected to collaborate with the Windows giant on its preferred path: "Both opened up a handful of edge cases, and it's just better to work together on these than try to do it on our own."
Canonical is no stranger to collaborating with the former Linux-loathing (and now Penguin-petting) behemoth, having seen Ubuntu 18.04 LTS elevated to a [4]first-class citizen of Microsoft's Hyper-V hypervisor in 2018.
In terms of what Windows users might actually use this graphical Linux support for, Microsoft suggested that developers might have a Linux IDE they'd prefer to use. Barnes agreed, putting forward KDevelop or GNOME Builder as use cases. "You don't want to torture some people with Emacs," he laughed.
While the GUI support may be the most eye-catching (when it arrives in Windows 10 – it took a few weeks after 2019's Build for WSL2 to arrive in the hands of Insiders), it is GPU support that has many excited. It will accelerate GUI applications and "it also unlocks GPU accelerated workflows," explained Barnes, "things like TensorFlow on MicroK8s on WSL."
The arrival of GPU acceleration for WSL2 will indeed remove a few roadblocks for users, particularly those wishing to experiment on-premises ahead of a transition to dedicated Linux machinery or a full-on Hyper-V session.
Getting those GUI Linux apps running will still require diving into the command line (although we have no doubt that some enterprising users will soon have seamless links up and running on their Windows desktops). However, Microsoft also announced that WSL would be receiving a simplified install experience, "which will make it easier than ever to start using Linux apps on Windows."
The Year of the Linux Desktop appears to be upon us. We're just a bit surprised that it seems to have turned out to be Windows. ®
[1] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/05/06/windows_subsystem_for_linux_terminal/
[2] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/03/30/bash_shell_comes_to_windows_10/
[3] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/09/26/wlinux/
[4] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/09/19/ubuntu_microsoft_hyper_v/
Re: If only!
Since the only reason to run Windows is because you have an app that only runs on Windows, I'm not sure what the point is.
Except that's not true. Many are Windows developers because customers are Windows users, because Windows has the overwhelming share of their market. It therefore makes sense for them to be using Windows for development and it is convenient to do their Linux porting within Windows.
Of course, developers have been able to do that for years by spinning up a Linux VM, but WSL is - and more so with GUI support out of the box - so much easier.
WSL doesn't prevent developers using Linux to develop Linux apps if they want but it offers a very useful option for those who prefer to use a single workstation for cross-platform development.
@Jason Bloomberg - Re: If only!
I don't follow you!
Windows developers working for Windows users because Windows has the overwhelming share of the market. What does Linux have to do with it ? What Linux porting are we talking here ?
Re: If only!
"WSL doesn't prevent developers using Linux to develop Linux apps if they want"
Well, THAT's mighty kind of our overlords in Redmond! How magnanimous of them. Makes me want to rush right out and purchase their take on a system that I've already been using for decades for free.
Re: If only!
+1 I'm also a Devuan devotee too!
Re: If only!
>Since the only reason to run Windows is because you have an app that only runs on Windows, I'm not sure what the point is.
Corporate masters require Outlook or some home made VB app for booking vacation or they only allow corporate supported windows machines on their lan - saves me having to have a separate laptop for 'office stuff'
Re: If only!
If the price of running Linux is outlook Web Access and a couple of rdesktop sessions then so be it! God OWA is primitive though...
Re: If only!
Devuan-devotee here to the core.
Indeed ...
+100
O.
Is there a fly on the Windows?
The Microsoft user-monitoring capabilities of Windows is thus expanded to suck in those edge cases who need Linux-on-Windows (for dev work mostly, I assume, since the Windows ecosystem encompasses more user-land applications than Linux).
Don't mean to be overly paranoid, but MS really is out to get you. Er, your data, anyway.
Main boxes are Linux (Manjaro) and Mac here. Old laptops, various.
Re: Is there a fly on the Windows?
... user-monitoring capabilities of Windows is thus expanded ...
... Don't mean to be overly paranoid, but ...
You are not overly paranoid.
Your fears are fully justified.
MS is out to get both you and your data.
O.
My corporate environment has meant that I've had to run a CentOS development environment under VirtualBox on Windows 10. Unlike most in the company, I prefer to do nearly everything under Linux, not just building software. I am a distribution maintainer, after all. A few have broken ranks and booted straight into Linux but it isn't feasible for me as there are a couple of Windows-only applications that I need for my role. My new working arrangements at home made VirtualBox awkward to use and it's buggy as hell anyway so I switched to my own build of QEMU. It's still not the smooth experience that I'd like though. I know others have switched to WSL, which I've been curious about, but I wanted to hold out at least until WSL2, and even then I had my doubts. The mention here of graphical applications and Wayland is seriously encouraging though so I'm going to give it a really good look.
I do think it was funny that pretty much the day after the network aware X11 system was seen as legacy in a number of Linux distros, Microsoft created WSL that effectively relied on it for graphical apps XD
The last Tasmanian tiger
died in captivity as a result of neglect. The same fate awaits the Linux Desktop, captive and neglected at the hands of Windows users. It will be for sure the (last) year of Linux on the Desktop. Sad story!
coming soon
The road map ahead
1. All your favourite linux apps run on windows 10
2. games platforms... run Linux on the windows platform.. full access to GPU , network etc etc
3. Outlook ported to the windows/linux system, run under windows or linux
4. Office ported to the Linux/windows system, no more faffing about with libreoffice
5. Windows subsystem for linux, run your legacy apps here
6. Introducing m$ Linux, subscribe and get the best OS experience ever.
7. Windows... binned forever into history.....and there was much rejoicing....
(well I can dream cant I? )
Re: coming soon
You had me until you said 'Subscribe'.
Boo hiss.
Seriously, it is the way the MS is going to go and I decided a long time ago that I was not going to play their game (subscribe or don't get patches) and left the MS shell game behind.
Nothing to do with Linux, all to do with Windows.
Over 20 years ago MS or Windows Services For Unix. Bought in at first.
"Although SFU includes X Window System client libraries and applications, it does not contain a native X server . Administrators may configure any of the numerous third-party Windows X servers. Fully featured free options include Cygwin/X, Xming and WeirdX. "
When you had a suitable X-Server many Linux GUI applications ran seamlessly integrated to Explorer Desktop. So 20+ years later MS finally makes it simpler.
Except running Windows in VM, if you really need it, or old 32 bit on Wine-32 on a 64 bit Linux. Or older stuff in DosBox is simpler.
Actual native Linux runs better now on more PCs and laptops and netbooks than Win10. Updates are painless.
So anyone with more than passing interest is going to boot Linux, or dual boot. This is for badly treated developers in a corporate world that wants a Linux application developed and won't allow Native Linux, Dual boot or even a VM with Linux.
This is twenty two years too late. In 1998 when MS did the "halloween" papers users of the Web encountered about 5% Linux servers. Now they encounter over 90%.
The domestic and even some small businesses are using iOS and Android on phones and tablets. PC desktop / laptop sales have stagnated. The take up of Win 10 is part inertia of corporations locked to a handful of windows programs, part most retail laptops have Windows pre-installed. Apple laptops & desktops are expensive and for the faithful.
Linux desktop/laptop is still below the Retail radar. Because it has little marketing and retail are scared of it. Android with it's Linux Kernel has more phones and tablets than anything else ever had. Now also on many so called Smart TVs (with poor GUI design compared to earlier non-Google TV GUIs, I guess mostly tested at desk with apps, not 2.5m away with dozens of terrestrial channels and hundreds to thousands of Satellite channels.
Anyone developing or running Linux is better off with a Native Linux.
It's long been a pet theory of mine that Windows 2030 will be a Desktop Environment/Window Manager based on a Linux kernel. They will do with Linux (the kernel) what they did with Chromium.
If only!
Since the only reason to run Windows is because you have an app that only runs on Windows, I'm not sure what the point is.
But then it's already the year of Linux On The Desktop[TM]. Since systemd has streamlined the Linux experience across systems and made all notebooks and apps work seamlessly together in perfect harmony, Linux has... OK I can't continue with a straight face, Devuan-devotee here to the core.