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Old July 17th 20, 07:15 AM posted to alt.windows7.general,alt.comp.os.windows-10,comp.sys.intel,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips
VanguardLH[_2_]
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Default Linux founder tells Intel to stop inventing 'magic instructions' and 'start fixing real problems'

VanguardLH wrote:

{Using Windows Subsystem for Linux}


From what I've seen of the WSL videos, and because the Linux "apps" are
lightweight images of Linux, what I see is running the Linux image dumps
you to a bash shell in terminal mode (aka command line aka console
mode). You don't get a GUI desktop, like Gnome or KDE. Alas, most
Windows users don't know about shells, console-mode, or entering
commands. They'll want a GUI for, say, the WSL/Ubuntu image. The
Windows 10 WSL bash shell doesn't officially support GUI Linux desktops.
Microsoft intended WSL's bash shell for developers running Linux
terminal-mode programs although it seems you can load GUI apps via shell
commands. I suppose Microsoft also didn't want to waste resources on
developing a GUI desktop when there have been lots of others already.

While it's possible to dual-boot into native Windows or into native
Linux as the base OS, dual-booting means you only get to use one OS at a
time. Hyper-V (hypervisor) is the base OS running the working Windows
or Linux images inside a VM, but the apps within those VMs are native to
that guest OS. Windows users can get acquainted with Linux while still
using Windows, and using both concurrently (without using user-mode
VMMs, like VirtualBox or VMware Player). However, not many Windows
users are going to endear themselves to Linux if stuck in terminal mode.

I read one solution is to run an X Server (on Windows) that connects to
the Linux VM. That would grant access to a Linux application or
desktop's GUI. Then you install the desktop in the Linux VM, like
running "sudo apt install lxde" (for the LXDE desktop). Looks like you
follow with "export DISPLAY=:0" and "export LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT=1". I
only remember the DISPLAY var getting set when I used Reflection X or
Hummingbird (Xming is a free alternative) eons ago to connect to
numerous *NIX hosts on my Windows workstation. However, if I install a
desktop GUI into the Linux image running in a VM managed by Hyper-V, why
would I need an X server to see that desktop (on the same host)? To me,
the X server was to see the desktop on a different workstation. X11 is,
after all, a network protocol. After installing a desktop into the
Linux image (LXDE, Gnome, KDE), why wouldn't it show when I switch to
the view window for that VM? I would think I'd have the desktop load on
startup of the Linux image (e.g., startlxde). Or won't the Linux
desktop replace the terminal window?

Maybe the suggestion to install a GUI desktop in the Linux image, have
it load on Linux startup, but use an X server to see the Linux desktop
is to eliminate having to leave open (even if minimized) the terminal
window. Been about 10 years since I had to use any Linux variant. That
was back when I was working and before I [mostly] retired.

Although Windows users were weaned on a GUI desktop, even for OS config
tools, I suspect they'd have to learn to bounce out of the Linux desktop
back into the bash shell for some OS configs. Need to make the
transition to Ubuntu, SUSE, or whatever Linux as painless and intuitive
as possible for them to adopt Linux. How many Windows users enjoy
reverting to a command shell to enter console-mode commands?
Penetration into the user market is not led by techies in their personal
use of the OS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKCe9UE-quA (*)

I started watching that, but my eyes demanded some sleep. My initial
reaction from watching part of the video before dropping a shortcut to
it to watch later was "Geez, no wonder Windows users don't use Linux".
Yeah, the tweaks were to get the Linux VM working well along with a GUI
Linux desktop connected to using X11 from a Windows X client, but I
remember this kind of **** when I used to use native Linux, too.

Once you get past all the WSL/Linux setup **** to get a user workable
setup, seems like that would help get more Windows users familiar with
Linux.

(*) I'm sure glad I installed the Enhancements for Youtube add-on in
Firefox to have it skip past the in-video ads. You see an
interruption for the ad but only one frame shows, and the extension
skips back to the video to continue playing it. There's a version
by the same author to use in Chrome, too. Makes enjoyable again
watching of long videos at Youtube.