🤔 Sat 19 Feb 2022 01:50:42 AM EST I was so fucking wrong about this. WSL2 is still great for some specific circumstances, but running a headless Ubuntu Linux server with 2 GB RAM and 2 Cores kicks WSL2’s ass. WSL2 becomes unbearably slow to a fast terminal user to the point of being worse than a remote connection to someone in China from New York.
I’ve become a huge Windows 10 19044 WSL2 fan after spending a few hours of prayer and work migrating off of the gawd-awful PopOS distro.
I know. I know. I’ve been talking shit about WSL2 all year and praising PopOS for all of 2020, mostly because of this horrible Cisco Anyconnect VPN issue that has been open for four years and prevents any WSL2 user from connecting to their VPN from WSL2 while at work.
Here’s the deal: things change — especially in tech.
I’m very surprised to say that I will likely never use a Linux Desktop OS ever again. Microsoft has finally done it. WSL2 is almost everything I thought it could be when it first came out, fast and seamless, with tight integrations with other VM and container software that just work harmoniously. It seems like everyone is focused on getting their products to work with WSL2 and it is paying off big time. And why wouldn’t they? MS Windows is the undisputed king of enterprise desktop operating systems, like it or not. And now all those tech workers get Linux, for free. That is a huge win for any CTO.
I can’t believe I just typed those words. I really can’t.
Here’s the reality. I feel like I’ve been released from Linux desktop prison since making this change. I have been an avid Linux desktop user since the year 1997. No joke. Most of that time I have hated the Windows desktop experience. For an old school MS hater to actual switch to MS as my Linux daily driver is a big fucking deal. I’m honestly still very incredulous and dumb-founded by all this alternate reality. But I am forced to objectively admit that in January 2022, Microsoft has managed to produce the most practical and efficient Linux desktop on the planet.
What makes me say that?
First of all, PopOS is an absolute joke in comparision. The frequent bugs and crashes are the reason I considered this migration off of it. And with System76 announcing it is going to spent time and money creating its own desktop in Rust from scratch I don’t want anything to do with that idiotic company.
My gut was right. The horrible experience I had in 2013 buying a hugely overpriced laptop that I had to return and pay a $70 restocking fee was the omen I needed to remember before every buying anything from that company again, no matter how pretty those chassis are.
Mark my words, System76 is a company that is going to fail hard, really hard. Sell your stock if you have any. They don’t bring anything new to market that anyone really needs (at least not anyone that matters). And the few who do buy their products are just absolute fools for paying those obscene prices. Nothing says “stupid” more than paying way too much money for a Linux system. It’s like you missed the whole fucking point of Linux in the first place.
To be fair, PopOS didn’t have any of those problems in 2020, but since their last upgrade PopOS is far less stable than any Windows I have ever used. Don’t believe me? Go ask Linus Tech Tips what he thinks of PopOS.
As I said, I cannot believe I actually am writing those words. But I cannot deny them.
Who would think that Microsoft would be at the very core of the entire Linux and cloud-native revolution, but they are. he CNCF is literally a sub-organization of the Linux Foundation, and Microsoft is a strong, active participant. Linux will dominate enterprise IT for the fore-seeable future and Microsoft was smart enough to see this and act on it. That’s what matters. Linux containers, virtual machines, servers, and embedded devices all being developed on mostly Windows desktop systems.
Linux on the desktop has it’s cute charm and appeal as being something different, but it is completely irrelevant when it comes to getting real work done with Linux. People who argue over the best window manager for Linux are completely missing the point. Those irrelevant people can scwabble over stupid shit while the rest of us engineers and developers kick ass and occasionally take a break to play a game on the best gaming platform the world has ever known (yes, Windows). Gaming on Linux is a fucking joke by comparison.
Why did I change my mind so strongly?
My jaw literally dropped as I experienced the current WSL2 integration with Rancher Desktop, Vagrant, VirtualBox, and VMware without a single problem or conflict. Luckily, I don’t need Cisco Anyconnect on my personal PC (like I do at work). That remains the single biggest problem with WSL2 in general, but I’m glad to know the Rancher team is aware of it and working on a fix that is modeled after the same fix that is already in Docker Desktop (which I’ll never use again after this week now that it is proprietary and inferior to Rancher Desktop for everything that matters except Anyconnect fixes)).
Windows desktop is so much better than PopOS it’s actually rather ridiculous. Everything just works. The Super/Windows key searches as expected, the menu’s don’t randomly disappear and stop rendering the font, there’s no compatibility problems or extra installation steps. Shit just works.
I almost can’t believe it. I was so sure WSL2 would crap out when combined with a running VirtualBox and/or VMware and Vagrant. Instead, Vagrant is very aware of WSL2 and leverages it fully. As crusty and old as Vagrant is, they clearly put a priority on integration with WSL2. Why? Because Hashicorp obviously knows that if it wants market share it needs to cater to the biggest Linux desktop distribution in history: Windows with WSL2.
It’s just so amazing. You cannot even tell this stuff isn’t Linux. And how could you. It is Linux. Smooth, pristine, lightning fast Linux.
“So what about the Boost?”
All my foolish thoughts about attracting people to the Boost with the eye candy that is graphic Kali Linux desktop have evaporated. It is obvious to me now that Windows 10 (as of today) with WSL2, is the most important Linux anyone hoping to become serious as an infrastructure engineer or security analyst should ever learn.
Offensive Security, the most influential company in the cybersecurity space, agrees. You must have Windows 10 with VMware Workstation Pro to even take the course and certification exam for the OSEE.
But that’s not the only Windows-only company. SolidWorks, arguably the best 3D modeling software for makers and engineers, doesn’t even run on anything but Windows. Now that Linux and Windows are side by side you can do all the forensics and hacking and embedded engineering then take a break to enjoy the amazing 3D art in the Overwatch maps.
Hell, I just realized I can actually use my Adobe subscription again. OMG!
Speaking of games, streaming, and art. As gaming and personal broadcasting continues to grow 60% per year, Microsoft Windows will continue to dominate the market for professional and personal desktop workstations. If you consider Microsoft’s work with virtual worlds and 3D you’d have to really try hard to deny this reality. Modern Microsoft is going to dominate the market for these workhorse computing devices for the foreseeable future because the demand for this stuff is going to drive it. The combination of personal and professional requirements into one moster rig used by mostly remote workers is the future, and Microsoft with WSL2 is really the only provider for that demand.
I have to laugh at the Linux gaming people a little bit because they are so content to waste countless hours fucking with shit to get a game that takes me five minutes to load and run without any problems on Windows. I guess it is their form of a hobby, when they aren’t reading the Arch wiki or collecting NFTs, and I suppose getting games to work on Linux is more educational than actually playing a game I suppose. Still, not worth my time.
What about Apple?
What about them? They are doing their normal stupid shit and being edgy and different for not practical reason at all. Hey, remember when they switched to PowerPC and tanked the company? Then they announced putting Intel chips again and recovered. Yeah, that.
Apple’s bet on the M1 is simply stupid. Sure people will use it, but not gamers, and not most workers. Apple has never really cared about the gaming market at all (despite their lies at conventions while Microsoft fucking buys Blizzard for $70 billion dollars). Microsoft is the closest to NVIDIA, the most significant company of our time given the emphasis on gaming, machine learning, and block-chain.
I’ll still use my two Macbook Pros, my own for writing, sound engineering, and IRL streaming, and my work’s for most remote work stuff. It will be good to stay current on desktop Windows and Mac since 90% of all employees will be using one or the other and preparing them to be the most effective is a high priority for me.