[EdLUG] how to make a Windows 10 laptop more Linux like

[Chay]

Hi Tahir,

I don't remember if Windows Subsystem for Linux 
<https://www.itechguides.com/windows-subsystem-for-linux/> is a Store 
thing or a separate thing, but I've used that on a Windows 10 machine to 
get essentially a full Debian userland running in parallel to the 
Windows system. It was very good -- filesystem very transparent, 
/*bash*/, apt, no VM overhead -- you can even run X applications from 
it, but need a client application installed on your windows system. You 
just grab a distribution installer (I think minus the actual kernel?) 
and off you go.

I also tested Alpine and found it worked.

IIRC the actual mechanics of it was there was some kind of chroot it 
puts the Linux stuff in, and there's a kind of reverse WINE to translate 
Linux program's system calls? Haven't had to use it since last summer so 
can't study it to check.

Chay

On 09/04/2021 09:23, Tahir Hafiz wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> For my new job I have to use a Windows 10 Enterprise (version 1809) 
> laptop with a low level account  - it's quite restricted but they have 
> given me another account too - a privileged level account to install 
> software from the internet (the MS Store is disabled however).
>
> What are some of the best and easiest ways to make a Windows machine 
> more Linux like these days? Back in the day when I used to use Windows 
> for work I would install Cygwin as that would give me a bash like 
> shell as well as sed, awk, grep, find, etc, etc.
> I still need access to the Windows file system on this laptop and the 
> files on the file system so a Virtual Machine is probably not a good 
> idea (and I think it's against policy anyways).
>
> Thank you for any help you can provide.
>
> Cheers,
> Tahir
>
>
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