XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11, comp.os.linux.advocacy, comp.sys.mac.advocacy   
   From: nospam@needed.invalid   
      
   On Thu, 11/20/2025 1:07 AM, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:   
   > On Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:59:13 -0500, Paul wrote:   
   >   
   >> During WSL1, there was no WSLg. There is a graphics stack to be   
   >> completed, before WSLg can come out. For the WSL1, we were using a   
   >> third party X server (XMing) so that three days after WSL1 showed   
   >> up, we were running Linux Firefox on the screen. Even though WSL1   
   >> was intended to be "bash", a terminal session with a bash shell.   
   >   
   > From what I gather, Windows NT was originally designed with a system for   
   > running multiple “personalities” on top of the common core kernel. This   
   > was used for the original POSIX implementation (which has been described   
   > as an “exercise in malicious compliance”), for example.   
   >   
   > Yet for some reason that was not used for WSL1. It appears that, over the   
   > years, that “personality” system has bit-rotted away into non-   
   > functionality. So the WSL1 team had to create an entirely new mechanism   
   > for emulating a Linux kernel.   
   >   
   > Which still didn’t work right anyway, and had to be abandoned in favour of   
   > WSL2, which made use of an actual Linux kernel.   
   >   
      
   An assumption not in evidence.   
      
   To me, it appeared whoever did the work, had the chops   
   for it, and the two stages were planned. It wasn't   
   "programming is too hard for me" or anything.   
      
   We can't admire the work done, because I've seen no information   
   describing what layers had to be snipped out or emulated.   
      
   The presentation was rather disingenuous. The first version was   
   claimed to be "a bash shell for people who happened to be Linuxing   
   on Azure", a kind of made-up use case if you ask me. I don't recollect   
   a justification for what WSL2 was for :-) If you look in the Microsoft   
   store, you can see some weird stuff in there.   
      
      Fedora Remix for WSL   
      $9.99   
      Sponsored by Whitewater Foundry, Ltd. Co. under the terms of the Fedora   
   Remix program   
      
   The thing is, today you can run VirtualBox, VMWare, and WSL2 at the same   
   time, so the users have lots of options for evaluating stuff. Assuming   
   they can handle the learning curve. While there have been efforts to   
   "make it easy for me", those smack of paternalism at the same time,   
   guiding you to a limited set of selections. Which is why I don't use   
   items like that. "We will download the DVD for you" - that's a red line   
   for me, if you're a VM Hosting application, you're no longer a candidate   
   if you try that.   
      
      Paul   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)