4 ms·
As another perspective, your comment is the first time I read the terms "dom0" and "domU instance", and "Windows subsystem" is the only phrase in my vocabulary
by DrammBA 4y ago
As another perspective, your comment is the first time I read the terms "dom0" and "domU instance", and "Windows subsystem" is the only phrase in my vocabulary that uses the word "subsystem".
With that perspective, "Windows Subsystem for X" makes total sense in my mind. To me it means that Windows (as an operating system) has one (or more) Subsystems, and those subsystems are created for specific use cases, for example we have a Windows Subsystem for Linux, and another Windows Subsystem for Android, and they'll probably create more Subsystems in the future.
I'm sure it sounds wrong for people with your level of education and background, but to people like me it's actually very descriptive and straight forward.
- ggm 4y agoA totally valid perspective. I am probably coming at this with prior-art in mind and you're coming at it (presumed, and no insult intended) from inside the MS ecosystem which is after all the core market. If the term makes sense for windows users, windows administrators it did it's job.
- rpeden 4y agoIt's worth noting that subsystems are an old Windows concept dating back to the original Windows NT in 1993. The win32 API itself is a subsystem of the underlying NT system. And the WoW64 subsystem allows 32-bit Windows apps to run on 64-bit Windows. There used to be POSIX and OS/2 subsystems, as well. I believe the "Windows Subsystem for x" nomenclature is a departure from the way MS previously described subsystems. That doesn't mean it is wrong, though. Just a bit inconsistent.