Hi all,
@rbalint wrote a blog post about the new ubuntu-wsl metapackage which installs useful tooling for WSL:
Check it out!
All right, looked in that link, which then pointed to this.
The question is, what does this WSL or WSL2 would do to Ubuntu to make Ubuntu better? This blog post and Microsoft says that WSL is running Ubuntu on Windows. Is that right or wrong? What would this WSL help ordinary Ubuntu users? I can’t understand the value for Ubuntu, and in general for Linux, the existence of WSL. I’d be happy, if anyone can explain that.
WSL[2] is an opportunity for us to get Ubuntu in front of an audience who wouldn’t otherwise try it out.
It’s about making Ubuntu easily available wherever there are people who want to use it.
More Ubuntu users = more Ubuntu.
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Ubuntu is known. Even with the people, who doesn’t know what is Linux, Ubuntu is known. If the Linux terminal, for example, cannot be installed in Windows, the people, who need to use it would have to install a Linux distro to use it. Now, all those, who need to use apps in the terminal, can do that in Windows 10 with WSL, so why they have to install/use a Linux distro then?
I’ve never shunned Windows like many other guys, so know and use both Linux and Windows, when I need them for a given purpose. So, I can tell that by giving a chance to have the CLI version of Ubuntu to work natively in Windows – use Linux apps in Windows 10 without getting out of the Windows 10 – doesn’t help to propagate Linux or Ubuntu. Why should they even consider trying out pure Ubuntu or any other Linux distro, now that Ubuntu can be used without even trying to dual boot?
This WSL is not going to help Ubuntu or Linux in general. Those ordinary Windows users would never even try out WSL, for they don’t really like to work on CLI. Windows is all about GUI apps – Windows in other words. Few coders would come through, but without moving out of the Windows platform. Nothing to be happy about!
(I am not a yesterday’s Ubuntu user, been with it since 4.10, so know the history both ways.)
I don’t agree. It’s not a zero sum game.
Ubuntu on WSL’s gain is not Ubuntu native’s loss. This is an opportunity for Ubuntu to reach a bigger audience.
Loss of Windows developers (the ones always working in the Windows environment) to Linux is not a problem, as far as normal users would come to know Linux distros. And, they’d most probably would do that, just as we all did once. They might try on curiosity, but will they stay is another question, these days.