Ubuntu Bash environment on Windows 10

[ColinMoulds]

Windows 10’s Fall Creators Update, Arriving September 2017

Microsoft is making it easier to set up Ubuntu for Windows 10 by bringing Ubuntu to the Windows Store. This is the same Ubuntu Bash environment you can install on current versions of Windows 10, but easier to install.

Fedora and openSUSE are also coming to the Store, so it’s easier to set up different Linux environments.

This may or may not cause issues with installation of node. Just thought i would bring it up just in case.

[gibfahn]

Originally raised: nodejs/nodejs.org#1253

@ColinMoulds just FYI it's helpful to linked related issues

[refack]

WSL now supports openSUSE and SLES as well
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2017/07/19/suses-linux-distros-for-wsl-now-available-in-the-windows-store/

/cc @nodejs/platform-windows

[refack]

Windows Subsystem for Linux out of Beta! (in build 16251)
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2017/07/28/windows-subsystem-for-linux-out-of-beta/

@nodejs/platform-windows @nodejs/release @nodejs/build @nodejs/testing Do we want to consider officially supporting node/WSL (more specifical node/Ubuntu 16.04/WSL)?

[gireeshpunathil]

In my understanding, the abstraction model of Linux on Windows implemented through WSL is neither documented, nor understoood. The only statement I know in this regard is: "WSL performs the emulation at the user->kernel boundary".

As node abstracts many things from the underlying system and makes static assumptions about it (from path delimiter to socket attributes) based on the platform it is running, this WSL layer makes it hard for problem determination without we completely understand what goes where, and what is implemented in Linux way and Windows way.

I have had asked some questions to the WSL forum and the response was on the lines of issues can be addressed as and when they arise, but not possible to document everything.

So my bottom line is that it is difficult to support this combination without we fully know about the execution environment, threading and scheduling models, network cabailities etc. and their functional association to the platform - to the emulated OS, or to the host OS. At the sametime, I would love if those are documented and we support this combination - as it provides a wonderful and interesting architectural combination.

[bnoordhuis]

If WSL is a 100% accurate emulation of Linux, we don't need to support it because if it works on Linux, it works on WSL.

If WSL is not a 100% accurate emulation, they are bugs that MS should fix and there is nothing we can do except point users to their bug tracker.

Ergo, it makes no sense to say it's supported. (Also, QED.)

[refack]

I'm 👍 on not supporting, but maybe we should make a note to the effect of @bnoordhuis's comment, since users assume stuff. I've tried to label related bug reports and we do get some...

[bnoordhuis]

I'll close this out for lack of activity but feel free to reopen if more discussion is needed.

[refack]

Now that WSL in out of beta IMHO we should document that support is experimental (and based on Linux kernel support, not Windows support)