2.1 WSL

(I mentioned this last time.)

1. This is Windows Subsystem for Linux 2.

2. I've just used it a little, but it looks quite good.

3. It's a basically full Ubuntu running under Windows.

4. It's a lightweight virtualization, not full like, say, Vmware.

5. It starts faster and uses fewer resources.

6. You can a have Windows and linux tabs simultaneously.

7. You can access either file system from the other OS.

8. You can even run either OS's executables under the other OS, e.g., in linux:

   notepad.exe /tmp/foo

9. The linux VM can create graphics windows, e.g., xeyes and firefox.

10. I can ssh from another computer into the linux vm, but so far have to use password authentication.

11. I can ssh out from the linux vm with public-private keys.

12. However I still don't understand or trust windows security. (That may be me, not MS.)

Summary: WSL looks potentially excellent.

2.2 Why I hate linux (almost as much as I hate MS)

Intel Tiger Lake, which my Thinkpad x12 has, doesn't play well with ubuntu linux. The buttons and sound don't work. This continues linux's trend of basically never working properly with new hw, such as: hdpi displays, dual graphics, fingerprint readers, half the printers ever I've used, sometimes even Nvidia GPUs, ...

The problem is a standoff between linux (and ubuntu...) and the commercial HW people over who should pay to add the HW to the OS. Even when a HW company is willing to pay, the linux kernel is a nonstandardized undocumented API-breaking moving target. I can document every adjective in the previous sentence.

2.3 Old C++ joke

https://webhome.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/Beowulf/c++_interview/c++_interview.html