45 ms·

Let's normalise using WSL for all such command-line utilities. Everyone's life will be easier, from developrs to users.

by theanonymousone 3y ago

toastal 3y ago
Skip the ‘WS’ part & just use the ‘L’
- pjmlp 3y ago
  The Year of Desktop Linux is around the corner!
  - J_Shelby_J 3y ago
    Yes. They’re called Codespaces.
    - pjmlp 3y ago
      Running on Azure on top of Windows, aka Hyper-V and Azure Host OS.
    - toastal 3y ago
      Microsoft owns GitHub, Codespaces, & Windows. Throw them all out.
- quickthrower2 3y ago
  With some GNU too!
pjmlp 3y ago
Windows developers are perfectly fine without WSL. WSL is meant for UNIX developers to bring their habits into non-UNIX OS, just like IBM mainframes and micros have PASE.
- vkazanov 3y ago
  Aren't that many pure windevs left these days... In many professional circles Windows itself is no more than a vintage curiosity. So in many ways, WSL is a survival strategy - it makes it possible to stay a relevant developer while working in windows. BTW, I know a case where WSL is nothing short of brilliant: online game development. A lot of times, the backend is running linux only, while the client is windows only. WSL is the only decent solution here.
  - alkonaut 3y ago
    I think that’s perhaps a selection bias. Tons of people work on windows desktop apps, Microsoft stacks (sharepoint/office/power..) but what they do isn’t on GitHub, it doesn’t end up on Twitter or HN. Perhaps not even on the StackOverflow dev survey. We just go to work and write software. I also think that it’s a matter of where you are at. If you ask anyone in Silicon Valley what tech they use, few will say Windows, C++, C# or COBOL. But if you ask in traditional industry (manufacturing, chemical, …) and perhaps in Germany rather than the US, you’ll get a completely different answer.
    - firebaze 3y ago
      Well I'm from germany, working for a quite large software shop. Windows is definitely going away. Ten years ago Windows Apps had around 50% of devs allocated, now it's down to at most 15%, dying quite fast. Even the windows devs use mostly WSL tools where they exist. SaaS is the future, and Windows didn't find its place in that space.
      - pjmlp 3y ago
        I am also located in Germany, and there are plenty of Windows jobs, it no accident that Germany is still one of the markets that is relevant for products like Delphi, with an annual conference. Many SaaS products like Sitecore power several Mittelstand companies.
        3y ago
jacquesm 3y ago
Let's not. Let's normalize using proper operating systems for software development and let these gate keepers to hardware that you own find out what unemployment is like.
J_Shelby_J 3y ago
WSL is only tenable if you only use your computer for development. Trying to use a windows computer for gaming or media production with WSL installed is problematic. For example… opening file explorer causes WSL to start and file explorer is frozen until it launches. And WSL seems to constantly be running eating up 8gb of RAM. Unless you need a GPU, codespaces are way more convenient than WSL.

Let's normalise using WSL for all such command-line utilities. Everyone's life will be easier, from developrs to users.

toastal 3y ago

Skip the ‘WS’ part & just use the ‘L’

pjmlp 3y ago
The Year of Desktop Linux is around the corner!
- J_Shelby_J 3y ago
  Yes. They’re called Codespaces.
  - pjmlp 3y ago
    Running on Azure on top of Windows, aka Hyper-V and Azure Host OS.
  - toastal 3y ago
    Microsoft owns GitHub, Codespaces, & Windows. Throw them all out.
quickthrower2 3y ago
With some GNU too!

pjmlp 3y ago

Windows developers are perfectly fine without WSL. WSL is meant for UNIX developers to bring their habits into non-UNIX OS, just like IBM mainframes and micros have PASE.

vkazanov 3y ago
Aren't that many pure windevs left these days... In many professional circles Windows itself is no more than a vintage curiosity. So in many ways, WSL is a survival strategy - it makes it possible to stay a relevant developer while working in windows. BTW, I know a case where WSL is nothing short of brilliant: online game development. A lot of times, the backend is running linux only, while the client is windows only. WSL is the only decent solution here.
- alkonaut 3y ago
  I think that’s perhaps a selection bias. Tons of people work on windows desktop apps, Microsoft stacks (sharepoint/office/power..) but what they do isn’t on GitHub, it doesn’t end up on Twitter or HN. Perhaps not even on the StackOverflow dev survey. We just go to work and write software. I also think that it’s a matter of where you are at. If you ask anyone in Silicon Valley what tech they use, few will say Windows, C++, C# or COBOL. But if you ask in traditional industry (manufacturing, chemical, …) and perhaps in Germany rather than the US, you’ll get a completely different answer.
  - firebaze 3y ago
    Well I'm from germany, working for a quite large software shop. Windows is definitely going away. Ten years ago Windows Apps had around 50% of devs allocated, now it's down to at most 15%, dying quite fast. Even the windows devs use mostly WSL tools where they exist. SaaS is the future, and Windows didn't find its place in that space.
    - pjmlp 3y ago
      I am also located in Germany, and there are plenty of Windows jobs, it no accident that Germany is still one of the markets that is relevant for products like Delphi, with an annual conference. Many SaaS products like Sitecore power several Mittelstand companies.
      - 3y ago

jacquesm 3y ago

Let's not. Let's normalize using proper operating systems for software development and let these gate keepers to hardware that you own find out what unemployment is like.

J_Shelby_J 3y ago

WSL is only tenable if you only use your computer for development. Trying to use a windows computer for gaming or media production with WSL installed is problematic. For example… opening file explorer causes WSL to start and file explorer is frozen until it launches. And WSL seems to constantly be running eating up 8gb of RAM. Unless you need a GPU, codespaces are way more convenient than WSL.