8 ms·

Next? They're trying to upstream it

bonzini 6y ago
Why would it matter if it's upstream? Upstreaming something like this is not really useful to anyone but Microsoft; it is still something that is inextricably tied to Windows and WSL. The point is not "extinguishing" Linux per se, it's achieving enough lock-in that only Linux that Microsoft customers can use is WSL.
- cwyers 6y ago
  WSL is not a Linux. It is a Windows subsystem for running Linux userlands. (Almost as if the WSL name isn't totally nonsense!) The "default" is Ubuntu. But Debian is supported, OpenSUSE is supported, Kali is supported. Unsupported but available, you can get Alpine, CentOS, Fedora, Arch, lots of distros.
  - bonzini 6y ago
    You could say that WSL is not a GNU/Linux. But since WSL comes with its own kernel, part of it is definitely a Microsoft-extended flavor of the Linux kernel. Even if this driver went upstream, it wouldn't be any less tied to the WSL virtualization platform.
  - Kipters 6y ago
    That was WSL1, WSL2 is a micro-vm running the Linux kernel and whatever userland you want. Ubuntu is just the most advertised one, but all are equally unsupported by MSFT, support is provided by the distro "vendor"
    - cwyers 6y ago
      By "supported" I mean "available in the Windows Store." I believe that those are submitted by the distro vendors themselves. And from a lock-in perspective, the userland is all that matters, yeah? If an app runs on Ubuntu, whether it's WSL 2 or in Docker or in a a VM or on bare metal. If it's all the same, then it's not a Microsoft Linux, it's just Ubuntu. Or whatever Linux you want.
      - bonzini 6y ago
        If it has to run on Hyper-V, then as far as Microsoft cares it's a Microsoft-extended Linux that they can make money from.
- Kipters 6y ago
  It doesn't make it less true since there's discussion going on for upstreaming it, and someone linked the lkml thread here
modeless 6y ago
The only part they're upstreaming is some ioctls to send opaque blobs from closed-source binaries on the Linux side to closed-source binaries on the Windows side.

Why would it matter if it's upstream? Upstreaming something like this is not really useful to anyone but Microsoft; it is still something that is inextricably tied to Windows and WSL. The point is not "extinguishing" Linux per se, it's achieving enough lock-in that only Linux that Microsoft customers can use is WSL.

cwyers 6y ago
WSL is not a Linux. It is a Windows subsystem for running Linux userlands. (Almost as if the WSL name isn't totally nonsense!) The "default" is Ubuntu. But Debian is supported, OpenSUSE is supported, Kali is supported. Unsupported but available, you can get Alpine, CentOS, Fedora, Arch, lots of distros.
- bonzini 6y ago
  You could say that WSL is not a GNU/Linux. But since WSL comes with its own kernel, part of it is definitely a Microsoft-extended flavor of the Linux kernel. Even if this driver went upstream, it wouldn't be any less tied to the WSL virtualization platform.
- Kipters 6y ago
  That was WSL1, WSL2 is a micro-vm running the Linux kernel and whatever userland you want. Ubuntu is just the most advertised one, but all are equally unsupported by MSFT, support is provided by the distro "vendor"
  - cwyers 6y ago
    By "supported" I mean "available in the Windows Store." I believe that those are submitted by the distro vendors themselves. And from a lock-in perspective, the userland is all that matters, yeah? If an app runs on Ubuntu, whether it's WSL 2 or in Docker or in a a VM or on bare metal. If it's all the same, then it's not a Microsoft Linux, it's just Ubuntu. Or whatever Linux you want.
    - bonzini 6y ago
      If it has to run on Hyper-V, then as far as Microsoft cares it's a Microsoft-extended Linux that they can make money from.
Kipters 6y ago
It doesn't make it less true since there's discussion going on for upstreaming it, and someone linked the lkml thread here

modeless 6y ago

The only part they're upstreaming is some ioctls to send opaque blobs from closed-source binaries on the Linux side to closed-source binaries on the Windows side.