 So, Windows Subsystem for Linux. I generally like it. If I want to do Linux-shaped things on a Windows machine, which I often do, then even WSL1 is both faster, and a more faithful imitation, than Cygwin. And WSL2 is better still, on both counts. Plus you get to pick the distro of your choice. I haven't used Cygwin in years. But I can't shake the feeling that if SQL is pronounced 'sequel', then WSL ought to be pronounced 'weasel'. 26 comments
 @simontatham Although I'm also put in mind of Pooh and Piglet walking round the spinney looking for a woozle and two WSLs.  @simontatham Huh! I always thought it was “wizzle” but I’m going to be calling it “weasel” from now on. It is mostly definitely „wizzle“, @simontatham — much like a good wee, the W.S.L. does serve a purpose and provide relief when one sorely needs it. @simontatham I was amazed to learn that WSL. Now supports running GUI apps. Pretty wild to be able to run Ubuntu Firefox in a window. @simontatham I'll take your weasel and expand it to either Weaselsoft or Microweasel. I tapped out of Windows for good because Weaselsoft is working so hard to get in my business and exert greater control over my PC.  I still use (and support) Cygwin. I have an Ubuntu via WSL, but lazy me, the bash I use the most is the git bash, since I almost always have it open... @tuban_muzuru @simontatham me too. Right mouse click in win file explorer, and "git bash here" is just too easy.  @simontatham WSL2 is just an awful Linux VM with broken networking and even more broken DNS though. Ok, plus some GUI integration, but you could always run X-Win32. @mirabilos happily, the networking isn't normally what I use it for. As long as it can ssh out, 'apt install' and the very occasional curl, it's good enough to let me do my git operations and source code management in a sensible command line, and only switch to Real Windows for building and testing whatever I'm working on. (Perhaps I could even build from the WSL bash command line, but I've never tried.) I haven't even tried its GUI integration, although it might be worth it for gitk alone. @simontatham I recommend just to not use Windows. The frustration with everyone who I talk to about computers always complains about Microsoft products. I did switch to Linux in 2022, I did it hardcore, I chose what I wanted to run and it was Arch btw. I read the wiki and did it. And I can tell you, it isn't very intuitive. As a complete noob, it took me Saturday and Sunday to do it. @Skye that is a bit difficult when you maintain a piece of primarily-Windows software! I mean, yes, I _do_ do most PuTTY development on Linux, because most of the complexity is in the cross-platform code anyway. But testing and developing on Windows is still necessary some of the time, either for mysterious bugs, or changes to the GUI in particular. @simontatham I'm not too familiar with client software programming, but isn't C/Rust universal? Wouldn't you be able to call upon the ui renderer to do the rest. @Skye there are cross-platform GUI toolkits that would let you write an application for multiple platforms with 90% of the code not needing to change. But that way you also lose a lot of detailed platform integration – you're limited to the common subset of functionality. Also, the 10% where you had to do fiddly porting stuff is where most of the bugs end up, so you'd deal with it much more than 10% of the time! PuTTY talks directly to the Win32 API, so its GUI code is all custom. @simontatham Putty also looks like it is from Windows 95. If you want a windows platform I can recommend UWP, the only thing I worked with before switching. @simontatham I'm pretty sure it should be pronounced "wassul", like the old Washington Assessment of Student Learning @simontatham@hachyderm.io then would WSA (Windows Subsystem for Android) be pronounced... weezer?  @johntimaeus I must admit I'm still prejudiced on that one by the first SQL-related database application I ever encountered, which was !Squirrel on RISC OS in the mid-90s. Seemed like a much better name than 'sequel'. (So apparently the common theme is that I'll pronounce things as small furry animals if at all possible.)  @simontatham I propose "Wessel" as in "we are trying to find the nuclear wessel" |
Gregory's Server
@simontatham I have a colleague who does exactly that. 😺