14 votes

Linux graphical apps coming to Windows SubSystem for Linux

10 comments

  1. [3]
    sjvn
    Link
    Linux on Windows is continuing to grow ever more powerful and functional. Now, graphical Linux programs are being integrated into WSL.

    Linux on Windows is continuing to grow ever more powerful and functional. Now, graphical Linux programs are being integrated into WSL.

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      feigneddork
      Link Parent
      I honestly think it’s pretty dope. I completely get why people don’t like Windows but as someone who has tried to use Linux as a desktop OS over and over and over on proprietary hardware, it just...

      I honestly think it’s pretty dope. I completely get why people don’t like Windows but as someone who has tried to use Linux as a desktop OS over and over and over on proprietary hardware, it just never plays nice with my setup. Combine that with the fact that Windows is an incredibly mature desktop and the fact I’ve gotten older and less caring about things, I can’t wait for a mature desktop with some excellent open source applications.

      Of course, Linux as a desktop will always be around, and I hope it does its best to get better. My cynical and somewhat unpleasant thought is that Linux on desktop is borderline dead - if it couldn’t grab significant market share during the Windows Vista/Windows 8 period - the time when Windows was at its most frustrating - then it just won’t do well as an actual desktop replacement. Well, not without some serious corporate backing and a really strong incentive to go against Microsoft on the desktop.

      There’s also the argument that the desktop pc is dying, and I don’t really buy that, but even if it is, Microsoft has that corner covered with the Surface tablet range. I have a surface go, and while it fails in terms of battery life and speed, it is a Window (heh) into the possibility of an desktop OS/power in a small form factor.

      4 votes
      1. ohyran
        Link Parent
        I've worked on Desktop Linux (as in getting paid to work on the DE), and I still contribute to that same community after I switched work. We're ok with the market share.

        I've worked on Desktop Linux (as in getting paid to work on the DE), and I still contribute to that same community after I switched work. We're ok with the market share.

        2 votes
  2. [7]
    streblo
    Link
    Seems like a very strange thing to sink development hours into. WSL is nice for people stuck on Windows boxes to have easy access to linux tooling but I'm not sure what graphical apps you're...

    Seems like a very strange thing to sink development hours into.

    WSL is nice for people stuck on Windows boxes to have easy access to linux tooling but I'm not sure what graphical apps you're missing out on.

    3 votes
    1. [4]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [3]
        streblo
        Link Parent
        I work on linux boxes and my daily driver is a linux box -- I just think the cross section of people who are on Windows, using WSL, and need some open sourced GUI is going to be pretty small -- in...

        I work on linux boxes and my daily driver is a linux box -- I just think the cross section of people who are on Windows, using WSL, and need some open sourced GUI is going to be pretty small -- in particular because most of those people are going to be coming from a corporate environment where things like free word processors are irrelevant.

        1 vote
        1. [2]
          Comment deleted by author
          Link Parent
          1. streblo
            Link Parent
            Those GUIs are almost all window dressing for an easier to use CLI -- which is mostly my point. The people using WSL aren't the same sort of people who need Gnome or others to write a GUI that...

            Those GUIs are almost all window dressing for an easier to use CLI -- which is mostly my point. The people using WSL aren't the same sort of people who need Gnome or others to write a GUI that sets timers or lists network devices for them.

            1 vote
        2. treed
          Link Parent
          I have a Hyper-V VM on my Windows machine that is literally just for running emacs in a reasonable way. I use X410 and minimize the VM window once it's running.

          I have a Hyper-V VM on my Windows machine that is literally just for running emacs in a reasonable way. I use X410 and minimize the VM window once it's running.

    2. [2]
      snazz
      Link Parent
      It appears that Microsoft is trying to take a chunk out of the "develop on Mac, deploy on Linux" market. Apple has largely dominated here because they provide a serious UNIX with a very nice...

      It appears that Microsoft is trying to take a chunk out of the "develop on Mac, deploy on Linux" market. Apple has largely dominated here because they provide a serious UNIX with a very nice graphical environment on top. Microsoft wants people to buy PCs and use WSL instead.

      3 votes
      1. streblo
        Link Parent
        Does it really serve that market? In 99.9% of cases we are talking about things being deployed on Linux servers, something you can already do with WSL just fine. Things like VSCode already have...

        Does it really serve that market? In 99.9% of cases we are talking about things being deployed on Linux servers, something you can already do with WSL just fine. Things like VSCode already have WSL integration and the toolchain for deploying a linux application doesn't require a GUI.

    3. skybrian
      Link Parent
      I would guess there are some specialized business apps running on Linux and it's worth it to sell some Windows boxes to businesses.

      I would guess there are some specialized business apps running on Linux and it's worth it to sell some Windows boxes to businesses.