back to article Linux fans thrown a bone in one Windows 10 build while Peppa Pig may fly if another is ready in time for this year

Microsoft emitted a fresh version of Windows 10 last night, featuring fun for Linux fans, as mutterings intensified over hardware delays. The Windows Insider faithful have had to wait a little while for the Fast Ring's build 19603 while the Windows team dealt with a blocking bug. However, for Linux developers running on …

  1. CAPS LOCK

    Windows awoke to discover it had metamorphosed into...

    ... a bloated, ugly Linux. (Sorry Franz.)

    1. JulieM Silver badge

      Re: Windows awoke to discover it had metamorphosed into...

      Well, yes.

      Isn't it blindingly obvious that Microsoft are seeking to replace the Windows kernel with a Linux kernel?

      1. MatthewSt

        Re: Windows awoke to discover it had metamorphosed into...

        Looks like the opposite I think. Userspace Linux tools running on Windows Kernel.

        1. Glen 1

          Re: Windows awoke to discover it had metamorphosed into...

          That may have been true for WSL V1. V2 includes a Linux kernel.

        2. Rich 2 Silver badge

          Re: Windows awoke to discover it had metamorphosed into...

          With way, what’s the point?

          Really - if you want Linux then run Linux. If you want Windows (or has a snack on the head recently) then run Windows. I simply don’t see the point of this Frankenstein-esc mess

          1. teknopaul

            Re: Windows awoke to discover it had metamorphosed into...

            Why on earth would you want explorer.exe when you have mlocate

        3. Boork!
          Happy

          Re: Windows awoke to discover it had metamorphosed into...

          That would be a GNU userspace running on an NT kernel, or GNUNT, for short...

        4. jglathe

          Re: Windows awoke to discover it had metamorphosed into...

          Not working. And, more importand, if it works, waay too slow.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The Matrix 4?

    I'm still waiting for them to make the Matrix 2, let alone 3....

    1. Nick Ryan Silver badge

      Re: The Matrix 4?

      I know, it would be amazing. Can you imagine just how good a sequel to The Matrix could be. Shame they never made one.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: The Matrix 4?

        What if the people who were still in the Matrix were fed memories of 2 matrix sequels?

      2. veti Silver badge

        Re: The Matrix 4?

        The Matrix was okay, but way overrated. I'm glad they never made a sequel.

        It would be like making a sequel, or worse an entire TV series, to Highlander. Can you even imagine?

  3. sageman

    Windows

    Why can't I find a space to grab a window to move it around.

    The top bar is full of icons and menus.

    Perhaps I'm just using it wrong.

    Bring back the 3.1 UI...

    1. bpfh

      Re: Windows

      You already had it. It was called Windows NT 3.51.

      Now If only there was some modern hardware support including USB, sound, video and DirectX...

  4. Steve Foster
    WTF?

    Best New Euphemism Ever

    "Poking the Penguin", eh?

  5. Barry Rueger

    I'm confused..

    The reason I install Linux on a computer is to avoid Windows.

    (And judging by my wife's brand new Win10 laptop that remains the case. What a friggin mess! I'm still gobsmacked that there's no simple way to move her profile from the old machine to the new. Like the one built into an Apple!)

    1. keith_w

      Re: I'm confused..

      I am gob-smacked that you couldn't be bothered to look up User State Migration Tool.

      https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/usmt/usmt-overview

      1. jglathe

        Re: I'm confused..

        Well, that's obvious. Everybody knows this URL. Like all the powershell commands...

      2. tygrus.au

        Re: I'm confused..

        "USMT is intended for administrators who are performing large-scale automated deployments. If you are only migrating the user states of a few computers, you can use PCmover Express. PCmover Express is a tool created by Microsoft's partner, Laplink." from the Microsoft URL above.

        USMT is not designed for home users and Laplink will try to upsell from the free to the Pro for $$.

  6. oiseau
    WTF?

    Linux developers

    However, for Linux developers running on Windows ...

    Hmm ....

    Linux developers running on Windows?

    Now, why would a Linux developer want to run on Windows?

    Ah ...

    Not a real (*) Linux developer you say?

    OK, now I get it.

    (*) Real - /riːl/

    adjective

    1. actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact; not imagined or supposed.

    2. (of a thing) not imitation or artificial; genuine.

    O.

    1. Chairo
      Devil

      Re: Linux developers

      "Now, why would a Linux developer want to run on Windows?"

      Perhaps he is missing the fun of searching for drivers on various dodgy 3rd party pages whenever he wants to use any hardware that the manufacturer cannot be bothered to support any more with Win10 drivers?

      Or he is missing that nice "activation" feature?

      And don't forget the blue screen! How can one live without blue screens!

      Yes, I just had to set up a Windows PC because the school insists the kids have to learn Windows. I nearly forgot the hell of Windows driver S&D.

      1. Gerhard den Hollander

        Re: Linux developers

        For Linux developers missing the blues teen there is, of course, xscreensaver.

        Building it from source is considered a bit of a rite of passage.

        Building it from source, and getting the full suite working, including the xscreensaver-demo is not easy ( until you've done it once)

      2. Thomas Smith

        Re: Linux developers

        Well, its because some software is only for Windows - and maybe MAC - so we who love Linux have to also use Windows. I am currently doing that on two computers.

        It would be great if some edition of Linux offered a roburst built in capacity to host Windows and Windows apps but also offered very easy set up plus the ability to switch and copy and past. I understand that there are a couple of vm (including the best from Sun) but I was told that they are not as good as VMWare. I have used VMWare for different Windows and think that it is very good.

        1. Adair Silver badge

          Re: Linux developers

          Logically, however, the moment I am developing for Windows I become a 'Windows developer', not a Linux developer. The platform I happen to be typing into is irrelevant, so the question remains: who are these 'Linux developers' who need Windows? It doesn't compute. ;-)

        2. rcxb Silver badge

          Re: Linux developers

          I understand that there are a couple of vm (including the best from Sun) but I was told that they are not as good as VMWare.

          Virtualbox conveniently breaks every time you upgrade your Linux system.

          KVM is quite nice, however. While not entirely dumb-user-friendly to set-up (switching your Linux system to br0 bridged networking and perhaps changing the disk image path), works quite nicely with a minimum of issue.

        3. Rich 2 Silver badge

          Re: Linux developers

          So what are the Windows-only applications are essential for writing stuff for Linux???

          I’m at a loss.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            If you are writing software then you need a Windows machine to run your IDE on and Visual Studio only supports Windows. Linux users are stuck with "Visual Studio Code", and you're hardly a professional if you use free tools instead of paying for the full version!

            Then of course you will want nice looking buttons so people will give you money for your creation, so you are also going to need a Windows system to run Photoshop... basically, any software development requires using multiple pieces of software that only support Windows!

            1. teknopaul

              Are you for real?

              Linux users dont use VS.

              Not even when building on windows for windows. We use msys, cygwin and linux like tool chains even when forced to use windows.

              If you are using photoshop for your buttons instead of an svg editor like inkscape your doing it wrong.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Coat

        Re: Linux developers

        Perhaps he is missing the fun of searching for drivers on various dodgy 3rd party pages whenever he wants to use any hardware that the manufacturer cannot be bothered to support...

        Not sure (s)he would be missing that experience. That's pretty much the dictionary definition of "running Linux".

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Embrace phase is working well.

    Next, they'll try to hire Linus.

    I just wish Microsoft would fix windows first but no, they really do want to the world and own everyone's Desktop, Laptop and Tablet.

    1. Version 1.0 Silver badge

      Re: Embrace phase is working well.

      Installing Windows 10 is like catching an STD but nowhere near as much fun.

      1. M. Poolman

        Re: Embrace phase is working well.

        Having done neither, I bow to the voice of experience.

  8. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. Mage Silver badge
      Windows

      Re: I will avoid Windows 10 for as long as I can

      PS/4 and an Android phone and/or Nintendo gameboy and/or switch for games?

      1. Blackjack Silver badge

        Re: I will avoid Windows 10 for as long as I can

        I got a Nintendo Switch and a PS Vita.

        Sadly, no decent port of Psychonauts for any of them. You either need a PS4 version plus the update or the Steam version.

    2. J. Cook Silver badge

      Re: I will avoid Windows 10 for as long as I can

      Hell, I'm actively pondering a copy of 8.1 or Server 2012 R2 for my workstation when the install of 7 on it finally rolls over. (unless someone's figure out how to port full graphics capabilities through to a VM running on kvm or virtualbox or something.)

      1. ExampleOne

        Re: I will avoid Windows 10 for as long as I can

        PCIe pass through a GPU?

      2. Nick Ryan Silver badge

        Re: I will avoid Windows 10 for as long as I can

        Unless you enjoy a default that breaks almost every single UI design principle and other than this is an inconsistent half-baked mess... I'd avoid anything with the Win8 UI (desktop and server) if at all possible. While it is possible to install NoStart (or others), this doesn't fix the entire mess that everything else is.

        The Win8 UI makes the Win10 UI look well thought out and good.

        1. J. Cook Silver badge
          Mushroom

          Re: I will avoid Windows 10 for as long as I can

          Yes, but the 8.1 / Server 2012 R2 OS doesn't require constant contact with microsoft, a raft of telemetry problems that can't be turned off, and oh yeah, random updates that break stuff, random apps that just decide to roll over and die* with MS's tier 3 team's response being "oh, you'll need to do a full bare metal rebuild and hope it doesn't happen again", oh yeah, and forced updates/upgrades regardless if you like it or not.

          I'll take the funky UI of 2012R2 / windows 8.1 over that any day, every day. the OS core is solid, reliable, and understood well enough that I can get around the stupid UI issues incurred by trying to overlay a mobile interface on a desktop machine.

          What apps I do use are all 'classic/legacy' apps- none of that Metro crap.

          * Seriously- the CALCULATOR app is a 'Modern' app, and in multiple cases at [RedactedCo], would randomly break for our users, with nothing short of a full bare metal re-image correcting it, which was Tier 3's response after a lot of troubleshooting with MS support... You know it's bad when the god level support tier can't figure out why one of their own apps (which should be a stupidly simple thing) decides to crap it's pants at random.

  9. Mage Silver badge
    Coffee/keyboard

    explorer.exe from the Linux command line.

    Since when did Linux fans care about Windows or Unix / Linux subsystems on them?

    I looked at MS Unix offerings for NT4.0 in 1998 and instead ran dual boot with Red Hat Linux.

    Now I just run Linux Mint.

    Windows 7 was sort of OK, Win10 was horrible.

    Even you have to run a business application that only works on Win10, a VM on Linux with Win7 or XP for that application is better. Use Linux for the Internet.

    Also one reason for Mac / Windows used to be Adobe. But with Indesign being rent only at nearly $240 pa and rubbish now compared to alternates? Or twice as much on a month to month basis. Even serious Photoshop users now only use it if corporate rented.

    1. rcxb Silver badge

      Re: explorer.exe from the Linux command line.

      Since when did Linux fans care about Windows or Unix / Linux subsystems on them?

      Ever since the first time they were asked to help with a Windows box, and would REALLY have preferred to use their familiar tools to get things done instead of the god-awful Windows UI...

      I'd sure be happier if open source backup tools worked flawlessly on Windows systems (though NOT just Windows 10 systems), and if it was easier to use Linux GUI apps on Windows to gradually wean Windows users off the burning platform entirely.

  10. Paul Johnston
    Thumb Down

    WSL1 versus WSL2

    Anyone seriously had a look at WSL 2 recently.

    I've been looking to see if it can replace having dual boot machines with Ubuntu 18_04 LTS and Win 10.

    We have to run OpenFoam and it requires the sort of grunt Virtual Box is going to have issues with.

    Also supporting Linux for people who have never heard of it but who need to use it for their PhDs is to say the least not fun.

    So I have it installed and some simple benchmarks for simple file operations suggest WSL 2 is noticeably slower than WSL 1.

    1. pakraticus

      Re: WSL1 versus WSL2

      Have not looked since late 2018.

      My fuzzy memory:

      SSH multiplexed connections didn't work.

      emacs displaying to X11 didn't work.

      Disrupted Virtualbox.

      Instead:

      Chocolatey provides enough of a package manager.

      'Git for Windows' provides a good enough bash prompt and Unix toolset.

      Virtualbox + Vagrant provides low pain options for disposable VMs.

      A two line batch file is enough to bootstrap Chocolatey and Git for Windows.

      And that's enough to use a shell script to provision the rest.

      And my rest includes IIS and Visual Studio 2013. We have a web based editor that requires IIS. And we have a key product component that only builds under VS2013.

      And I connect to a Linux desktop VM in the server room for 90% of my development work.

  11. tempemeaty

    ...

    It looks to me like a Microsoft is putting Linux paint-job on their RAM-hog slowfiletransfer namelenthissued Windows Bloatosaurus OS.

    If Microsoft still isn't making it work better I'm not interested.

    It would be interesting to find out how it ran if MS released Windows10 using a Unixy type kernal. I don't think Redmond would ever go that far. They can't do it.

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