Linux on Windows 10: Will penguin treats in Creators Update be enough to lure you?

The Register ^ | Feb 27, 2017 | Tim Anderson

[dayglored]

The Windows 10 Creators Update is set for release shortly, and comes with significant improvements to the Windows Subsystem for Linux, also known as Bash on Windows or Ubuntu on Windows.

Just to remind you, this is not done via emulation, nor by running a virtual machine, but rather by redirecting system calls.

Does Microsoft really love Linux? While that is hard to answer definitively, the company does see a lot of Linux in its future, and is smart enough not to resist it.

Around a third of VMs on Azure run Linux; SQL Server for Linux is coming; the next-generation .NET platform (.NET Core) runs on Linux; Visual C++ can target Linux in Visual Studio 2017 (to be released shortly); and via Xamarin you can compile mobile applications for Linux-based Android, to mention a few examples of how Linux has now permeated Microsoft’s platform.

What’s the point of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)? Microsoft mainly has developers in mind. If you are developing for web or mobile platforms, Windows gets in the way, with annoyances like MAX_PATH (a 260 character limit on path length that messes up tools like Java and Node.js), a different character used as the path separator, and the simple fact that most open source tools are compiled for Linux first with a Windows port as an afterthought or not at all. Life is easier on Macs, since OS X is UNIX-based.

You will still need a Mac to target iOS or the Mac itself, but Microsoft hopes that WSL will remove most of the other obstacles.

Although still in beta, WSL gets important new features in the Creators Update. One is better interop between Windows and Bash. You can run a Linux command from a Windows command prompt simply by typing:

bash -c [Linux command]

You can also run a Windows executable from Bash simply by typing the full path and command.

Network commands like ping and ifconfig now work as expected. The console has mouse support and 24-bit colour. And numerous bug-fixes and new system calls mean that more things work, including languages such as Go, Ruby, Java and Node.js. Ubuntu 16.04 (Xenial) is now installed by default.

The Creators Update runs SSH (secure shell server) and GDB (GNU Debugger) more reliably, and you can now configure WSL as the remote target for Visual C++ for Linux. In this scenario, Visual C++ is the editor and visual debugging tool, though compile and build is on the “remote” Linux system, which in this case is WSL. It’s a neat feature, though not yet as reliable as using a Linux VM or remote Linux PC.

You can compile and debug Linux applications entirely with Visual Studio on Windows 10 (click to enlarge)

Another notable feature is the ability to run Ubuntu desktop. This is not yet an official part of the platform, and does require installation of a separate Windows X server (we used VcXsrv), but on a well specified PC it works well. You can use it together with Windows 10 multiple desktop support, so that you have Linux on one desktop and Windows in another. If Microsoft chooses to go further in this direction, it is not much of a stretch to imagine Linux GUI application support integrated into Windows 10.

Is WSL good enough for real work? Opinions vary. “I use it to fix line endings and extract tar files pretty regularly” says Joe Gardiner, a senior solutions architect at Chef. For this kind of use, WSL is excellent and removes friction for developers.

On the other hand, John Grant, founder of IT Jobs Watch in the UK, says that “Bash on Ubuntu on Windows doesn't support Nginx. So for development it's not that useful. A remote XenServer is more flexible … next version perhaps.”

Grant has yet to try the Creators Update, so it is possible that as the platform improves his view may change. A quick test on the latest build shows that Nginx installs and runs without obvious issue.

Nginx running on Windows Subsystem for Linux

WSL is excellent work, but the snag is that it has to be good enough that developers do not find themselves asking, “is this a bug in my code, or in WSL?”, if its usage is to go beyond simple utilities.

The stakes are high for Microsoft, since if most developers end up using Mac or Linux PCs, it is less likely that things such as the Universal Windows Platform (UWP), Azure, or Visual Studio Online will catch their attention.

Microsoft does now have cross-platform tools such as Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio for the Mac, but nothing close to the sophistication of Visual Studio on Windows.®

[dayglored]

Looking forward to this getting better and better.

[dayglored]

Linux Support and Windows 10 Creators Update... PING!

You can find all the Windows Ping list threads with FR search: just search on keyword "windowspinglist".

[Bob434]

it would be enough lure for me IF i could run linux only for all online activity, and neve3r allow windows to access the Internet- like i can do by dual booting- I don’t see how windows can be denied online access while allowing linux online access- I would think that under this new windows setup- linus would only be allowed Internet access through windows access? (Much like it works via virtual machines)

[Bob434]

I guess I’m not understanding this- is it just for developers? And not like a full blown linux distro like mint on windows?

[grwcfl537]

A better (IMNSHO) is, will this Win version run in WINE or VMWARE or similar?

[dayglored]

> I guess I’m not understanding this- is it just for developers? And not like a full blown linux distro like mint on windows?

Looks to me like it's a way for Linux developers (users to a lesser extent) to run Linux commands and services (like SSHD), even a Linux desktop, within the Windows context, without having to spin up a Linux VM, or install a third-party Linux-like environment such as Cygwin.

It's not a Linux distro. It's a support/translation layer that redirects Linux system calls into the Windows system for execution.

If you desired a true distro (eg.g. Mint), you need to put it in a VM (under windows).

[butlerweave]

I’ve been running Windows 10 and Lubuntu on a Toshiba M400 for like forever now

[Windflier]

Hey Red, I’ve got a quick question for you.

I turned off Windows 7 updates during the “free” Windows 10 upgrade period, and have never turned them back on. Is it safe to accept Win7 updates now?

[Tom Bombadil]

I will never again run Windows if I can help it. That MicroSoft may end up needing Linux connected developers is sweet irony.

[Bob434]

oh ok Thanks- - I misunderstood the concept- This system isn’t for me then-

[ConservativeMind]

Exactly. As it is, I will continue to dual boot Linux Mint.

[Bob434]

Yes- you won’t get the nagging windows 10 updates on windows 7 updates anymore- used to be we had to hide certain KB updates to avoid the nagging screens for 10- but they aren’t there anymore-

Might wanna just do a search for ‘phone home updates in windows 7” though- not sure if there are any of those snuck in now or not-

[ConservativeMind]

We did the same. Some months ago, MSA removed all upgrade upgrades.

You should be safe now.

[Bob434]

There’s suposed to be a new version of wine out- I haven’t tried it- but it’s wine 2.0 or something- suppsoed to work much better with windows programs

[Musket]

Just an aside fyi to all, If you haven’t run into “Secure Boot” yet, you will. Newer machines will only boot to Windows 10 or versions of Linux approved by MicroSoft. As of now that only includes Ubuntu and Red Hat. Turning off “Secure Boot” is a two step process, one in Win 10 and one in the BIOS. Why all this? It is to prevent malicious installations of Root Kits. If you turn it off, you’re vulnerable, so they say. Linux developers have to pay 100 dollars to get approved by MicroSoft. LOL.

[Conan the Librarian]

For later perusal.

[Mr. K]

If Microsoft was smart they would embrace Linux with a complete Windows interface AND 100% compatibility with windows software.

[Windflier]

Yes- you won’t get the nagging windows 10 updates on windows 7 updates anymore

Thanks, I'm aware of that. The "free" Windows 10 upgrade ended on July 29th of last year..

I've just learned to be suspicious of Microsoft over the years, and since I'm not a techie, I wonder what sort of nefarious little time bombs they might be slipping into an operating system they're actively trying to kill.

Thanks for the tip.

[Bob434]

I haven’t heard of any ‘phone home’ crap that they’ve included in windows 7 recently- nothing like windows 10 anyways- I would trust it m ore than windows 10 anyways- but i dual boot and only very rarely allow windows to access the Internet- i use linux for almost all online activity- and shut off the connection in windows 7 via the network connection icon-

Windows 7 is only gonna be updated for another couple of years- so at that point I’ll likely never allow it access when that happens- and just keep it around for things like windows only games, photoshop, and a few MS only programs-

The following is extolling the virtues of linux- skip if not interested- don’t mean for it to be sale’s pitch, just a recommendation to those hwo might be considering dual booting or running linux- it’s not meant to be an anti-windows pitch

5 years ago i never thought I’d switch from windows- but when windows 10 crap came out- i motivated me to try linux in a dual boot scenario- Best thing I ever did- but admittedly, I do have a little techie knowhow (although not much- but enough to figure out some of the linux stuff like command lines needed for installing some htigns- although most things are just as easy to install as windows programs nowadays)

I like that it’s free- I like that once it’s tweaked the way you like it that it’s a lot like windows in look fell and function- and since i don’t do a lot of geek stuff- it works perfectly fine for on-line activity and email, and even skype like chatting through a browser- these things all work just as easily as windows- Drag and drop shortcuts to favorite websites on desktop- double click to go to site, easy peasy- printer works fine- everything recognized by linux like vid card, usb 3 card- etc- up and running in no time- all automatic=-

i installed a few linux programs that were not listed in the super easy ‘software manager’ app=- and they took a little finagling to get working- but no big deal- most programs are installed through the software manager with a click or two- super easy- but to be fair linux programs do kinda stink compared to windows programs like word- or photoshop- but again, i simply boot into windows for that stuff- I do use gimp- but kinda reluctantly- much prefer photoshop-

oh well- linux is still loads more safe than any windows distro- which is why i only go online mostly with linux-

[Windflier]

I appreciate you taking the time to flesh out your experiences with Linux. That’s helpful to me, seeing as I might be forced to go the same route in future.

Thanks!