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

  • yarr@feddit.nlEnglish
    10·
    5 days ago

    Great! With this source code out, I can finally complete the port to Linux. I call it WSL24L, aka “Windows Subsystem For Linux 2, For Linux”

    • steeznson@lemmy.worldEnglish
      51·
      5 days ago

      Do you name every FOSS project? This is uncannily close to what an actual open source project would be called, including the logic behind it.

      • 0ops@lemm.eeEnglish
        8·
        4 days ago

        Nah, needs more recursion. The ‘W’ in “WSL” stands for “WSL”

  • Gumus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    91·
    6 days ago

    I know there’s a lot of hate for Microsoft on Lemmy, but WSL is one of the best parts of Windows. It’s really powerful and well integrated to Windows. Since I still can’t leave for pure Linux install, I’m glad for WSL.

    • I'm Hiding 🇦🇺@aussie.zoneEnglish
      1·
      5 days ago

      The only Windows PC I use is my work computer.

      GPO blocked WSL.

      I can’t even escape to a command line with the right flavour of slashes between directories. For eight hours a day, all hope is lost.

    • lepinkainen@lemmy.worldEnglish
      21·
      5 days ago

      WSL made windows tolerable in the time I had to use a windows machine for work.

      macOS is still the better choice for corp approved work, integrates decently with IT systems and is a “real” unix system underneath.

      Linux on a corporate desktop is mostly about how well you know the IT guys and do they trust you. And of course the software stack.

      • cmhe@lemmy.worldEnglish
        21·
        5 days ago

        Linux on a corporate desktop is mostly about how well you know the IT guys and do they trust you. And of course the software stack.

        I would say it depends more on the commitment of the IT admins to support and manage a fleet of Linux workstations. There are Linux “Active Directory” servers, configuration provisioning tools, ways to centrally and automatically rollout updates, etc. It really depends on if the IT guys invest the same amount of effort to support them or not.

        • lepinkainen@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          5 days ago

          2000 people, 3k+ devices and one dude wants a Linux laptop.

          Not happening 😀

          But it did work in a smaller company of around 30 people, mostly because the IT guy was a Linux user too

          • interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.mlEnglish
            1·
            4 days ago

            Easy fix, install proxmox and run corpo-os in that as well as a proper desktop os. Just need to max out the ram on the shitbox thet give you and now you can switch almost seemlessly

      • interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.mlEnglish
        1·
        5 days ago

        IT just said no for WSL “ask your manager”

        My manager barely knows how to read his email

        and doesn’t understand why I want 3rd screen

  • JuryNow@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    5 days ago

    Making WSL open source could actually lead to some useful contributions and better transparency overall ; and good for Linux tools?

  • EON_GuG@lemm.eeEnglish
    51·
    6 days ago

    Don’t you think this is another Embrace, Extend, and Extinguish strategy from Microsoft?

    • bishop@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      6 days ago

      That’s exactly what it is. Any time now you’ll see “the best way to run Linux: on windows” or similar.

      • simple@lemm.eeEnglish
        12·
        6 days ago

        Does Lemmy even know what EEE means anymore or are we regurgitating words we heard from some article now?

        What’s it going to embrace and extend? WSL has existed for ages and is just a way to run Linux in a convenient container on top of Windows. That’s it. It’s not an attempt to “extenguish” Linux, literally just make the development experience on Windows less painful so people don’t switch to another OS. This has nothing to do with EEE.

        Open sourcing it with a permissive license can only be a good thing, and again they’re doing it to be more appealing to devs and maybe get free bug fixes from the open source community. It isn’t some grand conspiracy. But of course this community will react to news of “proprietary blob is now open source” with pessimism.

        • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          3·
          6 days ago

          literally just make the development experience on Windows less painful so people don’t switch to another OS.

          You said it right there yourself and don’t seem to realize it.

          Why have a laptop or a dual boot with Linux when you can now more easily stay on the proprietary OS ?

          This is called market retention.

          Preventing migration to another OS, another software ecosystem.

          The ‘Embrace’ and ‘Extend’ parts of EEE.

          And if it works, then in a few years, MSFT will figure out how to further monetize some other part of its software ecosystem that is either reliant on, or much much easier for an average user of WSL to use than switching their whole setup or stack all the way over to Linux.

          Call that EEM for ‘monetization’ if you want, or ‘enshittify’ for another E…

          …the commonly used term to describe software or services or platforms that suddenly jump over to making previously free stuff cost money, put ads everywhere, break the previously free features and put the ‘new’ working versions behind some kind of paywall…

          … All after you’ve captured your market and dominated as many competitors as possible.

          Standard monopolist strategy throughout the entite history of capitalism, same general concept goes back even further.

          • The_Decryptor@aussie.zoneEnglish
            1·
            6 days ago

            Why have a laptop or a dual boot with Linux when you can now more easily stay on the proprietary OS ?

            This is called market retention.

            Preventing migration to another OS, another software ecosystem.

            The ‘Embrace’ and ‘Extend’ parts of EEE.

            That’s stretching the definition to the point it’s nearly unrecognisable.

            What the term meant was for things like Internet Explorer, where MS adopted an existing standard (Embrace), started changing it in incompatible ways (Extend), while using their market power to lock out competitors (Extinguish)

            e.g. IE used an incompatible method for sizing and laying out elements than any other browser, so a site that laid out properly in NN4 looked broken in IE6, and vise versa. So most devs targeted IE6 as it was more popular, and NN4 users got more and more broken sites.

            ACPI was similar, Windows had an extremely lax implementation of it, so motherboards often shipped with bugs that Windows would ignore but would stop anything else from booting. Intentional? Doesn’t really matter, since it sure was helpful in slowing the adoption of things like Linux, that had to come up with workarounds for all the broken hardware.

            • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
              2·
              6 days ago

              Linux is a standard they have Embraced.

              As a for-profit tech monopolist, they will, very predictably, Extinguish the ability of people who use WSL instead of just actually Linux… to be easily able to… fully transition to a competitor (Linux).

              The Extend part just looks different, because the scope of software competition offered by Linux is much more vast than just a particular standard for a particular kind of software.

              … Potato, potato.

              I used to work for Microsoft.

              The ethos is absolutely still there: Create vendor lock in, create ecosystem dependence in every way possible, as well as in ways that 99% of people would not even think are possible.

              EEE is just the term they came up with to describe their own, overarching, monopolist general strategy, and if you wanna quibble over the precise technicalities of an internal corporate slogan, well then you’d be the kind of person MSFT is filled with that made me no longer want to work for them.

        • 7dev7random7@suppo.fiEnglish
          1·
          5 days ago

          Does Lemmy even know what EEE means anymore or are we regurgitating words we heard from some article now?

          So either all people of lemmy don’t know shit (you are not included here - implied) or only your assumption is valid: Wrong sources.

          What’s it going to embrace and extend?

          It embraces the Linux ecosystem and DX on windows. Microsoft is extending the Linux kernel and other Linux projects.

          WSL has existed for ages and is just a way to run Linux in a convenient container on top of Windows. That’s it.

          To you, yes. Can you speak for any project? Is there not a single project where the userbase are consisting of WSL users with compatability issues? Did you research about it? If so, prompt sources.

          It’s not an attempt to “extenguish” Linux, literally just make the development experience on Windows less painful so people don’t switch to another OS. This has nothing to do with EEE.

          Trying to bundle the userbase in their subsystem is literally rendering a dedicated Linux machine obsolete. If all would stay there the rest of the distro community would extinguish.

          Open sourcing it with a permissive license can only be a good thing,

          Can it? Contributing substracts work hours from other projects. So “only be a good thing” is wrong. There are more perspectives then just yours.

          and again they’re doing it to be more appealing to devs and maybe get free bug fixes from the open source community.

          You got sources about their intentions? You just said it: They are conquering the labor market of personal devs.

          It isn’t some grand conspiracy. But of course this community will react to news of “proprietary blob is now open source” with pessimism.

          Did you already review the code? No concerns left? How about pulling private servers for data? Is everything mirrored onto their servers? Any binary blobs there? Tracking/monitoring? Is it safe in regards of privacy and security?

          Hopefully you see that you ain’t holding all answers and opinions of the entire world. Cheers.

    • prettybunnys@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1·
      6 days ago

      No real reason to extinguish here, Microsoft is a services company and can offer those services on Windows and Linux.

      I’d wager you’re more likely to see an official compatibility layer on Linux supported by Microsoft before you see them move to extinguish.

      • FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.auEnglish
        2·
        5 days ago

        💯

        Surprisingly few seem to understand the difference between 90s Microsoft and Satya’s Microsoft. Under Satya Microsoft have completely transformed into a services company who aim to have their services run everywhere on absolutely everything. MS services on Linux is coming. Some people still can’t believe that Xbox games are releasing on PlayStation despite it being telegraphed for years.

        EEE isn’t a thing they want to do anymore. They want to embrace every platform so they can dominate that market too - not by extending and extinguishing, but by being a one stop shop that no one else can match.

    • juanito_the_great@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      01·
      5 days ago

      It’s kind of the opposite in my mind, WSL is (was) Microsoft capitulating to the fact that Linux is not going away, same with Azure. WSL is mostly for companies. Some companies have a huge contract with Microsoft and manage all laptops with it. Then they grow big enough that they can’t ignore Linux because they have people who need to work on Linux. WSL is the way Microsoft keeps their clients, because otherwise they move to Apple based IT.

      EEE would have been investing in PowerShell, PuTTY, or similar.

    • toastmeister@lemmy.caEnglish
      0·
      6 days ago

      Docker doesn’t exist in a usable state on Windows, so its an attempt to allow management of servers using Windows, as Windows Server fades away from usage entirely.

      • anachrohack@lemmy.worldEnglish
        11·
        6 days ago

        Docker works with windows containers, plus wsl can be used as the backend for docker. I use it all the time

    • chunes@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      6 days ago

      Normally I would say yes, but WSL is so incredibly necessary for a developer that it might be legit.

    • nao@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      0·
      6 days ago

      I think it’s an attempt to keep people on their platform who need easy access to a unix-like shell. Linux has it and so does mac os. Windows didn’t until they introduced wsl.

    • IsaamoonKHGDT_6143@lemmy.zipEnglish
      01·
      6 days ago

      It could be another Embrace, Extend, and Extinguish strategy from Microsoft, because if the increase in Linux user share leads to an increase in malware, most of those users aren’t experts.

      So there will be an increase in antivirus software for Linux, but that will also lead to DRM in Linux, and Linux may become what I swore to destroy. While BSD distributions, Redox OS, and other systems take over to become the new Linux as it was in its beginnings.

      • anachrohack@lemmy.worldEnglish
        01·
        6 days ago

        Anyone who’s running WSL is probably closer to an “expert” than the average windows user

    • themachine@lemm.eeEnglish
      0·
      6 days ago

      I think it’s more embrace. They have to compete against so many more entities now.

      • Buckshot@programming.devEnglish
        0·
        6 days ago

        This is my thought, they’ve all but lost the battle for cloud servers and they’d rather the developers computers were Windows. WSL allows that.

          • Buckshot@programming.devEnglish
            0·
            5 days ago

            I meant running windows on them, its enormous and its all linux servers. I know you can run windows but it’ll be a tiny fraction.

            • FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.auEnglish
              1·
              5 days ago

              Microsoft don’t care what you run on azure, just that you’re using azure. In fact running Linux on azure instead of Windows benefits them because it’s more lightweight so their hardware stretches further.

  • stebator@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    5 days 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
      1·
      5 days 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
        3·
        4 days 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.

        • KeenFlame@feddit.nuEnglish
          1·
          3 days ago

          Uh… But that’s what it’s for? Like it’s it’s primary purpose…? They created it for devops…? What are they smoking?

          • baduhai@sopuli.xyzEnglish
            1·
            3 days ago

            Msys2 was not created for devops, I just happen to be a devops engineer who uses it. Their websites describes it as:

            MSYS2 is a collection of tools and libraries providing you with an easy-to-use environment for building, installing and running native Windows software.

            Because it makes software building, packaging and distributing as simple aand standardised as it is on Linux, it means they effectively have a very good CLI on their hands. On my work laptop, I now use WezTerm with fish shell and helix editor for my workflow, and live in the terminal. Would this be possible to do without msys2 or wsl? Yes, but it would be a huge pain.

        • JackbyDev@programming.devEnglish
          1·
          4 days 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
            2·
            4 days 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.

  • Olap@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    6 days ago

    Fair play to Microsoft here. Hopefully we see some pull requests from non-ms employees and a better wsl experience for us all

  • Kazel@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    11·
    5 days ago

    fuck microsoft and windows so hard. had to reinstall that shitshow on my mothers computer because a driver update fucked the whole networkstack… they throw error codes and what not but give no help whatsoever. the conclusion of everyone for every problem is to reinstall windows… shitshow of an os, keep your dirty hands of linux!! can’t wait to nuke it and install linux there and have no windows machine left