Windows 10 Spring Update Improves Linux On WSL With Unix Sockets and More (anandtech.com)

Billly Gates writes: Windows 10 build 1803 has come out this month, but with some problems. AnandTech has a deep-dive with the review examing many new features including the much better support for Linux. WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) now has native Curt and Tar from the command prompt as well as a utility to convert Unix to Windows pathnames called WSLpath.exe which is documented here. In addition it was mentioned on Slashdot in the past about OpenSSH being ported natively to Win32 in certain early builds. It now seems the reason was for Linux interoperability with this Spring Update 2. Unix sockets mean you can run Kali Linux on Windows 10 for penetration testing or run an Apache server in the background with full Linux networking support. Deemons now run in the background even with the command prompt closed. [...]

Comments

This update almost screwed me over

[Anonymous Coward]

I was working on my final transfer level History essay in Word when I got the prompt to update my computer. I saved the file, and allowed the computer to update.
Once the update was installed, my computer got stuck in a boot loop- a little bit of troubleshooting got me to a blue screen with the following error:

"A required device isn't connected or can't be accessed. Error code 0xc00000225"

A cursory search revealed that windows couldn't see my hard disk. My. Freaking. Hard. Disk.
Yeah, I freaked out. Thankfully, I'm reasonably tech savvy, and I had a copy of Knoppix on a DVD laying around. I booted in to that, and found my essay. THANK GOD.

17 pages. Two weeks of research on the history of Puerto Rico. Due literally THE NEXT DAY.

If I were a normal computer user, that essay would have been as good as GONE, as well as all of my other data, because I simply WOULD NOT KNOW how to get it back.

Absolutely unacceptable Microsoft. You should NEVER break user space in your updates. EVER.

I promptly removed that buggy, unstable operating system and replaced it with Linux Mint 18.

Re:This update almost screwed me over

[Anonymous Coward]

Microsoft employees do not like it when we speak the obvious truth anyone who has used the OS knows. I have seen posts like this modded unfairly down before.

Windows, it's a pile of shit, the update system is fucked, you need to read about 1,200 websites each with their own registry hacks and tricks just to make the goddamn thing stop spying or doing any of 1,000,000 other insane obnoxious things, the advertisements are insulting, the corporate has no qualms about H1B visa employees, the corporation has no qualms about blatant tax evasion.

I like the parent poster went with linux mint after being with windows for years. I just had had enough of fighting with the damned OS every bloody day in a never ending uphill battle.

The poster did not really go into his linux mint experience, but mine was an epiphany. Everything just WORKED and it worked really really goddamn well. My machine was faster than it had ever been, there were no issues, I spend my days now playing games and relaxing. It is so much better and I wish I could let people know what it is like when you take that weight of bullshit off your shoulders and just get things accomplished.