16 votes

Microsoft is bringing Linux GUI apps to Windows 10

12 comments

  1. Akir
    Link
    This is great news! There are a handful of linux applications I would like to use that simply don't have Windows ports, and being able to run them again is excellent news. Honestly, I'm just happy...

    This is great news! There are a handful of linux applications I would like to use that simply don't have Windows ports, and being able to run them again is excellent news.

    Honestly, I'm just happy to finally be running Evince on Windows again. I have no idea why there aren't any good freeware PDF readers for Windows that support forms.

    6 votes
  2. [11]
    krg
    Link
    Is it a huge stretch to imagine Microsoft making Windows a full-blown Linux distribution down the line? I feel like this train of thought has been discussed before...

    Is it a huge stretch to imagine Microsoft making Windows a full-blown Linux distribution down the line? I feel like this train of thought has been discussed before...

    4 votes
    1. [4]
      moocow1452
      Link Parent
      They have a Microsoft Linux distro exclusive to Azure for cloud and server stuff, but as far as making Windows into a Linux Distro, Windows superpower is it's legacy support of enterprise critical...

      They have a Microsoft Linux distro exclusive to Azure for cloud and server stuff, but as far as making Windows into a Linux Distro, Windows superpower is it's legacy support of enterprise critical software, so torping everything and starting over with Linux would be a monumental effort. When people buy Windows, there is an expectation that everything you've ever bought for Windows will work, which is why Windows 10 Lite failed on launch and no one really talks about Windows 10 S, so I think Windows 10 is trapped in it's current form.

      6 votes
      1. [2]
        Diff
        Link Parent
        Is that actually still the case? I've heard plenty of anecdotes about old programs not working on Windows, experienced plenty myself, but also heard about WINE being used on Windows to support...

        Is that actually still the case? I've heard plenty of anecdotes about old programs not working on Windows, experienced plenty myself, but also heard about WINE being used on Windows to support that older software.

        5 votes
        1. moocow1452
          Link Parent
          At my work, we still have a version of IE6 powered by VMWare for an integral webtool, so virtualization is a thing. But we also have Windows 7 machines still in circulation because people haven't...

          At my work, we still have a version of IE6 powered by VMWare for an integral webtool, so virtualization is a thing. But we also have Windows 7 machines still in circulation because people haven't gotten around to switching over. I think people are just going to use.

          1 vote
      2. Wren
        Link Parent
        People probably said that about NT at first, too. Everything was already written for DOS, so a new kernel? Impossible! I think it could happen, but it would look a lot like the 90s, with perhaps...

        People probably said that about NT at first, too. Everything was already written for DOS, so a new kernel? Impossible! I think it could happen, but it would look a lot like the 90s, with perhaps Server 2024 or thereabouts making the leap first, followed by a consumer Linux-based Windows by about 2030.

        1 vote
    2. [6]
      mrbig
      Link Parent
      Last time I checked, the main issue is retro compatibility. There's just too much old software to maintain for that to happen.

      Last time I checked, the main issue is retro compatibility. There's just too much old software to maintain for that to happen.

      4 votes
      1. tlalexander
        Link Parent
        Shortly after hell freezes over Microsoft could contribute to Wine so it works perfectly on their own Windows based Linux distro.

        Shortly after hell freezes over Microsoft could contribute to Wine so it works perfectly on their own Windows based Linux distro.

        3 votes
      2. [4]
        PendingKetchup
        Link Parent
        They could move almost the whole system over to WSL and keep the Windows layer for legacy apps. It's not like they haven't changed out the "correct" framework for new development several times...

        They could move almost the whole system over to WSL and keep the Windows layer for legacy apps. It's not like they haven't changed out the "correct" framework for new development several times already, while keeping the old one around.

        You'd end up with a Linux distro from Microsoft, on a Linux kernel, on a Windows kernel/hypervisor. Maybe every app can even get its own virtualized kernel for security or something.

        2 votes
        1. [2]
          mrbig
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          Would that be even worth it? Wouldn't such hybrid negate many of Linux advantages?

          Would that be even worth it? Wouldn't such hybrid negate many of Linux advantages?

          1 vote
          1. Diff
            Link Parent
            I think it would. Layering things like that would combine the weaknesses of both systems. The classic example is the way Windows handles filesystems. Same program under Linux and WSL, lightning...

            I think it would. Layering things like that would combine the weaknesses of both systems. The classic example is the way Windows handles filesystems. Same program under Linux and WSL, lightning for one and sluggish for the other just because of that. And the Linux kernel really is not that great at handling low memory conditions, often swapping itself to death irreversibly. Windows, for all its faults, handles that situation very well, staying fairly responsive or regaining responsiveness relatively quickly. If you had a real Linux kernel running on top of a real Windows kernel, seems like a good way to get the worst of both worlds bubbling up to the surface.

            2 votes
        2. teaearlgraycold
          Link Parent
          What if the Linux kernel is the host? It seems reasonable to assume that legacy apps are less resource intensive and would be less hampered by running under Windows in a LSW.

          What if the Linux kernel is the host? It seems reasonable to assume that legacy apps are less resource intensive and would be less hampered by running under Windows in a LSW.

          1 vote