6 ms·

This system works by launching an official Windows image in Docker and then making an RDP connection to it. There are a couple of others too now like WinBoat W

by jonp888 10mo ago

This system works by launching an official Windows image in Docker and then making an RDP connection to it. There are a couple of others too now like WinBoat What all of them avoid mentioning is that the images were intended by Microsoft for test and development purposes on Windows and the license clearly states you need a valid Windows license to use them: https://hub.docker.com/r/microsoft/windows#license https://hub.docker.com/r/microsoft/windows#license I wonder if Microsoft will take some action to enforce this if these projects become popular. Edit: This comment is incorrect, see below comment from doctorpangloss

yjftsjthsd-h 10mo ago
I don't get it. Is it a VM in a container? Skimming https://hub.docker.com/r/microsoft/windows https://hub.docker.com/r/microsoft/windows I would have interpreted that as a native Windows container, which I vaguely recall being a thing, but that would require an NT host, not Linux.
- breppp 10mo ago
  I remember Windows containers have two modes of operation as a Hyper-V VM and some sort of container-like isolation. I think the reason is that they had to quickly ship "containers" initially and that Windows does not have a kernel backwards compatibility the same way Linux does https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/windowscontainers/deploy-containers/version-compatibility https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/windowscont...
- tsimionescu 10mo ago
  It is a container in a VM. I'm not even sure what, if anything, the container achieves. But their installation instructions are pretty clear that you start by creating a Windows VM.
- jodoherty 10mo ago
  The container is a Linux container running a virtual machine inside. WinApps needs a Windows RDP server to work. Most of the functionality doesn't care where that Windows RDP server is actually running as long as its FreeRDP client can connect to it. The container or libvirt VM options are just ways to accomplish that via virtualization. I imagine the container part makes it easier to automate QEMU virtualization using bash scripting without worrying about distribution specific differences in the environment. These kinds of scripts become fairly ossified to their environment. Making them run consistently on different Linux distributions is its own adventure unrelated to installing and running Windows, so the containerization eliminates the need for a lot more bash scripting to account for those differences. The container's bash scripts download the Windows installer ISOs and run them in an unattended mode inside a QEMU VM. The unattended installation is configured to skip activation: - https://github.com/dockur/windows/blob/c7aac1edcf37a69ff730d0b4f073d16580a27763/src/entry.sh#L34 https://github.com/dockur/windows/blob/c7aac1edcf37a69ff730d... - https://github.com/dockur/windows/blob/c7aac1edcf37a69ff730d0b4f073d16580a27763/src/define.sh#L723-L792 https://github.com/dockur/windows/blob/c7aac1edcf37a69ff730d... - https://github.com/dockur/windows/blob/c7aac1edcf37a69ff730d0b4f073d16580a27763/assets/win11x64.xml#L126 https://github.com/dockur/windows/blob/c7aac1edcf37a69ff730d... Once the container is running, WinApps configures RDP via some scripts and registry settings exposed into the container via a volume so the container's scripts can copy and run them in the Windows VM: - https://github.com/winapps-org/winapps/blob/b4766336903d0cbe768d2ca7e8bb4b8a5951d0f2/compose.yaml#L37 https://github.com/winapps-org/winapps/blob/b4766336903d0cbe... - https://github.com/winapps-org/winapps/blob/main/oem/RDPApps.reg https://github.com/winapps-org/winapps/blob/main/oem/RDPApps... You can do it all yourself too with your own libvirt VM, but it's just more involved: - https://github.com/winapps-org/winapps/blob/main/docs/libvirt.md https://github.com/winapps-org/winapps/blob/main/docs/libvir... I haven't seen any of this before, but I think it's a pretty clever use of scripting and containers on top of some fairly mature but hard to use pieces of software.
RealStickman_ 10mo ago
Most laptops have included Windows 10 or 11 licenses, which are valid for this use
- BlaDeKke 10mo ago
  Last time i checked a Windows 10 and 11 license does not permit running Windows in a virtualized environment. That could have changed by now.
  - sschueller 10mo ago
    Last time I checked I did not agree to be bombarded with ads and have all my data tracked after paying 100+ for a piece of software...
    - Hasnep 10mo ago
      You kinda did... > By accepting this agreement and using the software you agree that Microsoft may collect, use, and disclose the information as described in the Microsoft Privacy Statement [...] Doesn't make it okay, just legal https://www.microsoft.com/content/dam/microsoft/usetm/documents/windows/11/oem-(pre-installed)/UseTerms_OEM_Windows_11_English.pdf https://www.microsoft.com/content/dam/microsoft/usetm/docume...
      - braiamp 10mo ago
        There's a couple of terms in contract law, like fairness of obligations, unconscionability, disproportionate penalty, excessive advantage, etc. that the US seems to have forgotten. In the EU and other countries such... aberrations are struck down and unenforceable. People are still scared silly, but the ones that protest are usually left alone.
        swores 10mo ago
        Those aspects of contract law mean that if MS included "you owe us your first born child" or "if you have not uninstalled this operating system within 2 weeks of installation, you owe Microsoft an additional one million dollars" then that clause wouldn't be valid. They don't however mean that MS choosing to put adverts all over Windows is illegal, or a breach of the contract, just because users would prefer the OS be ad-free. The EU could legislate in various ways that would mean MS had to stop doing so, but they haven't yet and there's no aspect of general contracts law currently that prevents it.
kachapopopow 10mo ago
https://get.activated.win https://get.activated.win wouldn't be online if microsoft cared.
- iljya 10mo ago
  what is this?
  - xeonmc 10mo ago
    massgrave.dev
    - muterad_murilax 10mo ago
      ... and what is this?
      - GranPC 10mo ago
        From massgrave.dev, just below the big heading: Open-source Windows and Office activator featuring HWID, Ohook, TSforge, and Online KMS activation methods, along with advanced troubleshooting.
      - deleted 10mo ago
        [deleted]
  - kachapopopow 10mo ago
    it is in the name get.activated.win(dows)
- Nextgrid 10mo ago
  Microsoft doesn't care if a home or hobbyist user uses this, because enforcing the license against such a user is not worth it as the payout wouldn't even cover their own effort/lawyers. Microsoft may absolutely care if you use this at work (even by accident, by bringing your personal machine to the office) since that's where they can collect a decent amount of money for a license breach.
doctorpangloss 10mo ago
no, this system does not work by launching the windows containers on windows mcr.microsoft.com/windows images it works by using dockurr, which is a great project but a worse way to distribute windows in the sense that it gets installed instead of downloaded and executed
venturecruelty 10mo ago
>...and the license clearly states you need a valid Windows license to use them. It's a license, not a cop.
maxloh 10mo ago
I am surprised that one of the fetched scripts even hosted on Azure. https://dev.azure.com/massgrave/Microsoft-Activation-Scripts/ https://dev.azure.com/massgrave/Microsoft-Activation-Scripts......
compsciphd 10mo ago
Is this a new thing? That windows docker images can run a UI? It's been a while since I looked at them (we're talking 2017-2018?), but back then, one was limited to CLI/Server apps without any windows graphical interface. I'm wondering when it changed? (or perhaps I missed something back then)

by jonp888 10mo ago

yjftsjthsd-h 10mo ago

I don't get it. Is it a VM in a container? Skimming https://hub.docker.com/r/microsoft/windows https://hub.docker.com/r/microsoft/windows I would have interpreted that as a native Windows container, which I vaguely recall being a thing, but that would require an NT host, not Linux.

breppp 10mo ago
I remember Windows containers have two modes of operation as a Hyper-V VM and some sort of container-like isolation. I think the reason is that they had to quickly ship "containers" initially and that Windows does not have a kernel backwards compatibility the same way Linux does https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/windowscontainers/deploy-containers/version-compatibility https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/windowscont...
tsimionescu 10mo ago
It is a container in a VM. I'm not even sure what, if anything, the container achieves. But their installation instructions are pretty clear that you start by creating a Windows VM.
jodoherty 10mo ago
The container is a Linux container running a virtual machine inside. WinApps needs a Windows RDP server to work. Most of the functionality doesn't care where that Windows RDP server is actually running as long as its FreeRDP client can connect to it. The container or libvirt VM options are just ways to accomplish that via virtualization. I imagine the container part makes it easier to automate QEMU virtualization using bash scripting without worrying about distribution specific differences in the environment. These kinds of scripts become fairly ossified to their environment. Making them run consistently on different Linux distributions is its own adventure unrelated to installing and running Windows, so the containerization eliminates the need for a lot more bash scripting to account for those differences. The container's bash scripts download the Windows installer ISOs and run them in an unattended mode inside a QEMU VM. The unattended installation is configured to skip activation: - https://github.com/dockur/windows/blob/c7aac1edcf37a69ff730d0b4f073d16580a27763/src/entry.sh#L34 https://github.com/dockur/windows/blob/c7aac1edcf37a69ff730d... - https://github.com/dockur/windows/blob/c7aac1edcf37a69ff730d0b4f073d16580a27763/src/define.sh#L723-L792 https://github.com/dockur/windows/blob/c7aac1edcf37a69ff730d... - https://github.com/dockur/windows/blob/c7aac1edcf37a69ff730d0b4f073d16580a27763/assets/win11x64.xml#L126 https://github.com/dockur/windows/blob/c7aac1edcf37a69ff730d... Once the container is running, WinApps configures RDP via some scripts and registry settings exposed into the container via a volume so the container's scripts can copy and run them in the Windows VM: - https://github.com/winapps-org/winapps/blob/b4766336903d0cbe768d2ca7e8bb4b8a5951d0f2/compose.yaml#L37 https://github.com/winapps-org/winapps/blob/b4766336903d0cbe... - https://github.com/winapps-org/winapps/blob/main/oem/RDPApps.reg https://github.com/winapps-org/winapps/blob/main/oem/RDPApps... You can do it all yourself too with your own libvirt VM, but it's just more involved: - https://github.com/winapps-org/winapps/blob/main/docs/libvirt.md https://github.com/winapps-org/winapps/blob/main/docs/libvir... I haven't seen any of this before, but I think it's a pretty clever use of scripting and containers on top of some fairly mature but hard to use pieces of software.

RealStickman_ 10mo ago

Most laptops have included Windows 10 or 11 licenses, which are valid for this use

BlaDeKke 10mo ago
Last time i checked a Windows 10 and 11 license does not permit running Windows in a virtualized environment. That could have changed by now.
- sschueller 10mo ago
  Last time I checked I did not agree to be bombarded with ads and have all my data tracked after paying 100+ for a piece of software...
  - Hasnep 10mo ago
    You kinda did... > By accepting this agreement and using the software you agree that Microsoft may collect, use, and disclose the information as described in the Microsoft Privacy Statement [...] Doesn't make it okay, just legal https://www.microsoft.com/content/dam/microsoft/usetm/documents/windows/11/oem-(pre-installed)/UseTerms_OEM_Windows_11_English.pdf https://www.microsoft.com/content/dam/microsoft/usetm/docume...
    - braiamp 10mo ago
      There's a couple of terms in contract law, like fairness of obligations, unconscionability, disproportionate penalty, excessive advantage, etc. that the US seems to have forgotten. In the EU and other countries such... aberrations are struck down and unenforceable. People are still scared silly, but the ones that protest are usually left alone.
      - swores 10mo ago
        Those aspects of contract law mean that if MS included "you owe us your first born child" or "if you have not uninstalled this operating system within 2 weeks of installation, you owe Microsoft an additional one million dollars" then that clause wouldn't be valid. They don't however mean that MS choosing to put adverts all over Windows is illegal, or a breach of the contract, just because users would prefer the OS be ad-free. The EU could legislate in various ways that would mean MS had to stop doing so, but they haven't yet and there's no aspect of general contracts law currently that prevents it.

kachapopopow 10mo ago

https://get.activated.win https://get.activated.win wouldn't be online if microsoft cared.

iljya 10mo ago
what is this?
- xeonmc 10mo ago
  massgrave.dev
  - muterad_murilax 10mo ago
    ... and what is this?
    - GranPC 10mo ago
      From massgrave.dev, just below the big heading: Open-source Windows and Office activator featuring HWID, Ohook, TSforge, and Online KMS activation methods, along with advanced troubleshooting.
    - deleted 10mo ago
      [deleted]
- kachapopopow 10mo ago
  it is in the name get.activated.win(dows)
Nextgrid 10mo ago
Microsoft doesn't care if a home or hobbyist user uses this, because enforcing the license against such a user is not worth it as the payout wouldn't even cover their own effort/lawyers. Microsoft may absolutely care if you use this at work (even by accident, by bringing your personal machine to the office) since that's where they can collect a decent amount of money for a license breach.

doctorpangloss 10mo ago

no, this system does not work by launching the windows containers on windows mcr.microsoft.com/windows images it works by using dockurr, which is a great project but a worse way to distribute windows in the sense that it gets installed instead of downloaded and executed

venturecruelty 10mo ago

>...and the license clearly states you need a valid Windows license to use them. It's a license, not a cop.

maxloh 10mo ago

I am surprised that one of the fetched scripts even hosted on Azure. https://dev.azure.com/massgrave/Microsoft-Activation-Scripts/ https://dev.azure.com/massgrave/Microsoft-Activation-Scripts......

compsciphd 10mo ago

Is this a new thing? That windows docker images can run a UI? It's been a while since I looked at them (we're talking 2017-2018?), but back then, one was limited to CLI/Server apps without any windows graphical interface. I'm wondering when it changed? (or perhaps I missed something back then)