Re: WSL keeps getting better, and it's because Microsoft is finally? admitting where developers want to be

On 2026-07-05 14:41, Robert Heller wrote:
> At Sun, 5 Jul 2026 13:35:57 +0200 "Carlos E. R." <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
>>
>> On 2026-07-05 02:02, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
>>> On Sat, 4 Jul 2026 18:41:39 -0000 (UTC), Robert Heller wrote:
>>>
>>>>> <https://www.xda-developers.com/wsl-keeps-getting-better-and-its-because-microsoft-is-finally-admitting-where-developers-want-to-be/>
>>>>>
>>>> It is also *probably* too little too late.
>>>
>>> Quote:
>>>
>>>       ... Microsoft really does need to make its OS comfortable for
>>>       Linux developers to work in, because the alternative involves
>>>       people ditching Windows entirely. For Microsoft to maintain its
>>>       user base, it has to ensure that its operating system can do
>>>       everything better than its competitors, and if that includes
>>>       allowing people to code Linux apps instead of using its own tools,
>>>       then that's what it needs to do.
>>>
>>> But if what its operating system is supposedly "doing better than
>>> competitors" is "running a Linux stack", then pretty much by
>>> definition, native Linux itself will always do that better than any
>>> Windows-with-Linux-bag-hanging-off-the-side two-headed FrankenOS can
>>> manage.
>>
>> Unless the user needs one of those applications that only exist for
>> Windows. For instance, some tax software for the USA.
> 
> Wondering if Microsoft is looking to do what Apple did with MacOSX -- move
> from their own propriatory kernel to an open source kernel (and base O/S
> infrastructure) with a propriatory GUI layer on top...
> 
> The only "weirdness" (to me) about the WSL is why? Is microsoft trying to
> entice Linux user (partitularly developers) away from Linux? The WSL is not
> going to appeal to the "typical" MS-Windows user (or if the "typical"
> MS-Windows user starts using the WSL, they might decide to just install Linux
> and move on. Developers already on Linux are not going to install MS-Windows
> just to use WSL. And no, doing that just to build MS-Windows versions of Linux
> programs is not really a reason -- there exist tools to cross-build on Linux
> targeting MS-Windows.

Can they build applications that run on the WSL transparently? Just 
click an icon on the desktop or a menu entry, and it fires away? Those 
same applications could also run on Linux proper.

-- 
Cheers,
        Carlos E.R.
        ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;