WSL Linux Graphics and Systemd Support Takes Priority Over LXD
I'm MikleVin and I recently created a new repository to prioritize getting Linux graphics and SYSTEMD working over LXD Linux Containers in the Windows Subsystem for Linux. Check out my repository 'drinkme' at https://github.com/miklevin/drinkme and stay tuned for my upcoming video to explain these changes.
Prioritizing Linux Graphics and Systemd Over LXD in WSL - Check Out My Repository 'drinkme'
By Michael Levin
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Yesterday, YouTube viewer eugrus asked:
Aren’t the WSL distros also basically containers? Why not import LXC-tarballs as WSL distros instead of adding an actual LXC management layer?
I answered it was that I wanted to master the LXC API and not WSL. Getting good at Microsoft tech in particular shuts you into Microsoft. No sooner did I express that opinion than I realized getting LXD to work under the new Windows Subsystem for Linux that was just released under the Microsoft store was going to be harder than I thought – at least with full Linux graphics support.
The puzzle becomes this:
- Get Linux Graphics working
- Get SYSTEMD working
- Get LXD Linux Containers working
- Get Linux Graphics & SYSTEMD working UNDER an LXD Linux Container
It seems possible, but it turns out I can’t dedicate all the time in the world to this. It starts to defeat the purpose. So some time yesterday I backed off and decided to 2 out of 4 ain’t bad. Much of the reason I used LXD was because the Linux provided by Microsoft was so non-standard and any scripts I wrote to automate building my environments would be different against a Microsoft Linux vs. an LXD Linux because the first thing I’d have to do is a hack to get SYSTEMD installed. That’s no longer true, or only just requires an /etc/wsl.conf file as opposed to a distrod or other 3rd-party hack.
And so… and so… the repo LXDWIN is no more. Instead it’s now:
____ _ _ __ __ _ _
| _ \ _ __(_)_ __ | | __ | \/ | ___ | | (_)_ __ _ ___ __
| | | | '__| | '_ \| |/ / | |\/| |/ _ \ | | | | '_ \| | | \ \/ /
| |_| | | | | | | | < | | | | __/ | |___| | | | | |_| |> <
|____/|_| |_|_| |_|_|\_\ |_| |_|\___| |_____|_|_| |_|\__,_/_/\_\
LOL! I started using the Alice in Wonderland motif in Levinux and it seems to have worked well, so I figure I’ll make one of its great symbols of commitment (and throwing caution to the wind) into the repo name. It can be found at https://github.com/miklevin/drinkme or using the old shortcut which I redirected to the new location https://mikelev.in/ux
It’s time to make a video, right? ASAP. The iron is hot. Lots of people are probably trying to figure out what these changes mean.