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> Locking Linux behind WSL2 is Microsoft's dream, and being oblivious about it won't help us in the future. > People get crazy when people point out that Micro
by flyinghamster 4y ago
> Locking Linux behind WSL2 is Microsoft's dream, and being oblivious about it won't help us in the future.
> People get crazy when people point out that Microsoft is deprecating it's 3rd party CA slowly, or making secure boot permanent step by step
I've long thought WSL and friends were a stalking horse for precisely the sort of locked-down environment I hate, and I've been expecting this incremental approach ever since XP started requiring activation. However, I'd notice that this particular bit of kit doesn't forbid you from disabling "Secure" Boot. It sounds more to me like there's some sort of kernel/device tree issue here and not Microsoft being dickish (at least directly).
I'd suspect that Microsoft will support Linux on it in much the way Apple "supports" Linux on M1 hardware, that is, "We won't stop you, but you're on your own, and if you break it you own both pieces."
- bayindirh 4y agoNot providing the device tree for including in the Linux kernel is breaking by negligence in my book. Looks like ARM and RISC-V will be the next open frontier for Linux in the near future. x86 is going to the way of intense lock down in an accelerating pace. ARM also supports these technologies, but at least it'll be more accessible and more diverse, I hope.
- uni_rule 4y agoI don't see it going anywhere nearly as far since their bootloader situation is still so broken. There just isn't any one size fits all solution for booting linux on arm, even on machines that do have open bootloades. At that point it only works if the manufactueres explicitly help to allow such a thing (or on phones they get custom recoveries), which makes it just as bad if not worse than x86's status quo.
- jaywalk 4y agoWhy would they do anything to actively support Linux on a device that is explicitly meant for developing Windows applications on ARM? They allow Secure Boot to be disabled, which is nice. Expecting anything more from them is absurd.
- wilsonnb3 4y agoBecause according to Microsoft themselves, "Microsoft ♥ Linux"
- jaywalk 4y agoOk, sure. Does that mean they have to support Linux on every device they put out? Why not complain that they don't support Linux on Xbox?
- bayindirh 4y agoNo, being an ethical company they shouldn't actively hinder it. Linux people will give the necessary effort to support it. No manufacturer ever openly supported Linux in their consumer systems, and never supported Linux in their professional lines (ThinkPad, Compaq NX, EliteBook, XPS, etc.) openly, to not sour their relations with Microsoft. Linux happened to work by miracle because of well laid out hardware and high quality BIOS implementations. In fact, they were vetting the hardware/software to be compatible with Linux, but never acknowledged it. Microsoft is trying to close that hole by forcing secure boot and retiring 3rd party CA.
- bitwize 4y agoAbout 10 or 12 years ago I said that the future of Linux on the desktop is as a VM running under a Windows hypervisor. It took longer than expected but that future is within sight.
- pjmlp 4y agoActually that is how long I have been using VMware and Virtual Box to run it, the exception being my aging netbook.
- bayindirh 4y agoThis is a very bleak future to be honest.
- int_19h 4y agoThat's literally what WSLg is.
- bitwize 4y agoThe idea behind my statement was that you won't get Linux any other way.