3 ms·

Windows Subsystem for Linux Distribution Switcher

85 points by vgallur 10y ago

mulrian 10y ago
Great work, I'll definitely be checking this out. I find myself using the WSL more and more recently. It still has plenty of rough edges, but Microsoft seem to be committed to improving it. The lack of a full Linux like terminal is probably one of the bigger reasons I can't switch fully over to Windows.
- pythonaut_16 10y ago
  Supposedly whenever it exits beta they will publish a stable API/ABI, at which point hopefully different software platforms and IDEs (e.g. IntelliJ, Visual Studio) can target it and interface more directly with it. My only holdout for Linux right now is that I can't just tell Pycharm to use WSL for the Python interpreter; you still have to register the WSL Python as a remote SSH connection.
  - alfalfasprout 10y ago
    I would actually not mind using windows if there was a way to use a native linux toolchain (including running and debugging) from within Windows. Especially if I could use something like CLion to do it. But alas it's not quite there yet. Valgrind doesn't even work yet.
- marsrover 10y ago
  The lack of a full Linux like terminal is also my current hold back. I know I can use VcXsrv and run xfce4-terminal, but I would rather use something that is more native to Windows than some hacky solution. In addition, now that the Windows Console supports 24-bit color, using things like ConEmu feels like two steps back (ConEmu doesn't support 24-bit color).
  - baldfat 10y ago
    This drives my crazy BUT I have found mobaxterm http://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/ http://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/ is the best solution for me. So much so I threw money at them.
  - drampelt 10y ago
    I've been using mintty and it's been pretty nice so far https://github.com/mintty/wsltty https://github.com/mintty/wsltty
- nunez 10y ago
  I just run a ssh server in a separate window in some hidden virtual desktop and use PuTTY Works great
trapperkeeper79 10y ago
Is there a way to chroot the linux distro? I'd love to be able to have multiple systems (even if I could only have 1 active at a time). It would be great for experimentation ala VMs.
- baldfat 10y ago
  That is why we have VMs this is not a VM but a subsystem that is sharing the same space as Windows.
  - zaphar 10y ago
    His request is not really all that unreasonable. And given how the subsystems work seems to me like it might be within reason to implement.
    - baldfat 10y ago
      But you don't really have a distribution you have Linux Tools in Windows. I have seen some github work on switching between the Linux in Windows.
tym0 10y ago
Weird not to see Arch in the list, https://github.com/alwsl/alwsl https://github.com/alwsl/alwsl did the trick for me.
- terrywang 10y ago
  I knew alwsl (Arch Linux as Windows Subsystem for Linux) long before this WSL distribution switcher ;-) Anyway, I run Linux as workstation so I don't really need WSL. Plus I have never laid my hands on Windows 10 so far (I ran Cygwin on the only Windows 7 machine we have at home).
- flukus 10y ago
  Do any of arch's benefits (aside from rolling releases) matter much in a virtualized environment?

85 points by vgallur 10y ago

Great work, I'll definitely be checking this out. I find myself using the WSL more and more recently. It still has plenty of rough edges, but Microsoft seem to be committed to improving it. The lack of a full Linux like terminal is probably one of the bigger reasons I can't switch fully over to Windows.

pythonaut_16 10y ago
Supposedly whenever it exits beta they will publish a stable API/ABI, at which point hopefully different software platforms and IDEs (e.g. IntelliJ, Visual Studio) can target it and interface more directly with it. My only holdout for Linux right now is that I can't just tell Pycharm to use WSL for the Python interpreter; you still have to register the WSL Python as a remote SSH connection.
- alfalfasprout 10y ago
  I would actually not mind using windows if there was a way to use a native linux toolchain (including running and debugging) from within Windows. Especially if I could use something like CLion to do it. But alas it's not quite there yet. Valgrind doesn't even work yet.
marsrover 10y ago
The lack of a full Linux like terminal is also my current hold back. I know I can use VcXsrv and run xfce4-terminal, but I would rather use something that is more native to Windows than some hacky solution. In addition, now that the Windows Console supports 24-bit color, using things like ConEmu feels like two steps back (ConEmu doesn't support 24-bit color).
- baldfat 10y ago
  This drives my crazy BUT I have found mobaxterm http://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/ http://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/ is the best solution for me. So much so I threw money at them.
- drampelt 10y ago
  I've been using mintty and it's been pretty nice so far https://github.com/mintty/wsltty https://github.com/mintty/wsltty
nunez 10y ago
I just run a ssh server in a separate window in some hidden virtual desktop and use PuTTY Works great

trapperkeeper79 10y ago

Is there a way to chroot the linux distro? I'd love to be able to have multiple systems (even if I could only have 1 active at a time). It would be great for experimentation ala VMs.

baldfat 10y ago
That is why we have VMs this is not a VM but a subsystem that is sharing the same space as Windows.
- zaphar 10y ago
  His request is not really all that unreasonable. And given how the subsystems work seems to me like it might be within reason to implement.
  - baldfat 10y ago
    But you don't really have a distribution you have Linux Tools in Windows. I have seen some github work on switching between the Linux in Windows.

tym0 10y ago

Weird not to see Arch in the list, https://github.com/alwsl/alwsl https://github.com/alwsl/alwsl did the trick for me.

terrywang 10y ago
I knew alwsl (Arch Linux as Windows Subsystem for Linux) long before this WSL distribution switcher ;-) Anyway, I run Linux as workstation so I don't really need WSL. Plus I have never laid my hands on Windows 10 so far (I ran Cygwin on the only Windows 7 machine we have at home).
flukus 10y ago
Do any of arch's benefits (aside from rolling releases) matter much in a virtualized environment?