The Windows Subsystem for Linux is now open source
blogs.windows.com
Today we’re very excited to announce the open-source release of the Windows Subsystem for Linux. This is the result of a multiyear effort to prepare for this, and a great closure to the first ever issue raised on the Microsoft/WSL repo:

Today we’re very excited to announce the open-source release of the Windows Subsystem for Linux. This is the result of a multiyear effort to prepare for this, and a great closure to the first ever issue raised on the Microsoft/WSL repo:

https://github.com/microsoft/WSL

  • stebator@lemmy.worldEnglish
    261·
    1 day ago

    This is for WSL2, not for WSL1. WSL2 is just a VM, not a big deal it it’s open-sourced. WSL1 is superior to WSL2 in every way. BTW, WSL2 is not a continuation of WSL1, they are being developed in parallel. I still try to use WSL1 whenever possible. For Linux specific features, like systemd dependancy and mounting file systems, I’d use full-featured VM instead of WSL2.

    • JackbyDev@programming.devEnglish
      6·
      1 day ago

      I thought WSL2 had a few specific advantages over WSL1, something about disk writes and/or Docker? But yeah, WSL1 was such a cool concept. My understanding is they implemented all the syscalls and API in it so it’s basically native.

      I tried to use them, as I do most tools like that. On Windows I have always stuck with the MSYS environment that Git for Windows gives you. It’s easy enough to work with and has most everything I care about. Plus it’s easy to set up. With wsl it’s more like a separate thing, it wasn’t as easy to run in place. A lot of times I still used batch or powershell scripts so it wasn’t totally bash. Like Docker is easier to use from not bash in Windows because the syntax is so wonky.

      But now I don’t use Windows at all.

      • baduhai@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        2·
        8 hours ago

        I’ve recently started using windows again for work, after not touching it for like 15 years, msys2 makes it tolerable.

        I’m a devops engineer, and my company won’t allow me to use WSL. Go figure.

        • JackbyDev@programming.devEnglish
          1·
          3 hours ago

          MSYS2 is odd, I could never figure out how to set it up a sort from the one with Git. When I was more of a power user I used Cygwin. Babun is cool but unmaintained last I remember, and is just Cygwin with some enhancements.

          As much shit as MS gets (and rightfully so) around 2019 they began turning their reputation around for dev stuff. They’ve lost all that good will though.

          • baduhai@sopuli.xyzEnglish
            1·
            3 hours ago

            I could never figure out how to set it up a sort from the one with Git.

            That’s because the one provided with git is a nerfed version of msys2. If you install msys2 as a standalone thing from their website, you get everything you need for a functional CLI on windows. Most importantly, you get a real package manager and decently populated repositories.