WSL or standard Linux distribution? The best way to use Linux on Windows systems

If you are a user using Linux on a Windows system, you may be faced with a choice: use WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) or install a standard Linux distribution? What are the differences and advantages and disadvantages between the two? This article will compare the features and applicable scenarios of WSL and standard Linux distributions to help you make the most appropriate decision.

Reason for using Windows Subsystem for Linux:

1. Just started learning Linux

If you are new to Linux and your experience with desktop environments is mainly on Windows, then you may consider starting your Linux journey with WSL. This is because you will have a more familiar desktop experience than you would on a Linux desktop.

Because WSL focuses primarily on the command line, you will gain valuable experience learning how to use the shell and utilities that can be applied to a full Linux desktop environment.

2. Run Windows and Linux applications simultaneously

The main advantage of WSL is that it can run Windows and Linux applications simultaneously. If you play Windows games and use Linux development tools like Python, you don't need to switch to a virtual machine or dual-boot.

You don’t need to switch between different systems, so it won’t interrupt your train of thought. WSL is a lightweight alternative to virtual machines and dual-boot. Although WSL2 uses a virtualized Linux kernel, it has much less overhead because the standard Linux desktop is not running.

It is easier to interoperate between Windows and Linux using WSL than using virtual machines or Linux partitions. While it is possible to share files, it requires additional work to implement.

3. You only use Linux occasionally

If you only use Linux occasionally for some tasks, such as lightweight development or running certain utilities, it may not be worth using the entire Linux desktop environment for just a few programs.

Compared to the most lightweight Linux desktop environment, WSL is a more lightweight environment. You can use standard Windows programs and launch Linux when needed.

4. You don’t need to access the hardware directly

While you can use GPU-accelerated applications on Linux, which are useful for developing artificial intelligence or machine learning programs, if you run both Windows and Linux, you may not need to deal directly with the underlying hardware.

Although Linux is very mature, driver support is still a major issue on desktop Linux, especially on laptops. Power management and Wi-Fi support remain major concerns, both of which are crucial for a laptop. If you need to work on your laptop, Windows can take care of the hardware issues while you can focus on your Linux work.

There is an important network effect here: hardware manufacturers tend to support Windows because most people use Windows, and people buy Windows devices because they know the device manufacturer will support it.

WSL provides Linux users with a way to bypass this chicken-and-egg problem. Wine also helps solve this problem from the Windows side, it can run Windows applications in Linux, but Windows compatibility is a moving target.

Reason for choosing standard Linux

While WSL can serve many uses that might previously have been handled via dual boot or a virtual machine, there are still some situations where you might want to run a standard Linux installation.

1. You are running the server

WSL is mainly used to run Linux development tools on desktop systems. For production server use, you need a regular Linux server, either on your machine or in the cloud.

WSL is not suitable for servers, and the overhead of Windows plus Linux does not make sense. WSL is suitable for testing web applications locally. You can even set up a WSL distribution to use systemd to manage services.

It is possible to install WSL on Windows Server, but in a production environment, setting up a Linux server is much easier. Most cloud service providers provide Linux servers by default when you sign up.

There is only reason to install WSL on Windows Server if your application depends on a specific program that only runs on Windows Server, but this seems to be increasingly rare as even Microsoft is not interested in Linux provides more support, including a Linux version of SQL Server. Even so, if your budget allows, you may still want to run separate Linux and Windows servers.

2. You have a heavy workload

Another reason to use a standard Linux version instead of WSL is to run large workloads. While WSL supports GPU acceleration and can be used for heavy computing applications such as machine learning, as with servers, removing the overhead of Windows will improve performance.

Additionally, it is easier to cluster Linux machines and offload heavy operations to the cluster.

3. Do you want to have a desktop Linux experience

Now that it is now possible to run X11 and Wayland graphical Linux applications on WSL, some Linux users may choose to use it to replace their Linux partitions or virtual machines.

However, some users still prefer the Linux desktop approach because X11, window managers, and the Wayland compositor provide unique user experiences, such as tiled window layouts. This is a good reason to use a desktop Linux distribution.

4. You want to run a distribution that is not available in WSL

While several major distributions are available in the Microsoft Store, such as Ubuntu, Fedora, and openSUSE, you may be using a specialized distribution that is not available in WSL.

In this case, if you want to run Linux and Windows at the same time, you may need to use a dual boot or virtual machine setup.

5. You want to run Linux in a virtual machine

If you want a Linux environment that is completely isolated from Windows, a fully virtualized system is still the best choice.

You have the option of using VirtualBox, but lightweight containerized Linux servers are a popular alternative. The advantage of this approach is that you can easily deploy your application's dependencies to any server, regardless of the host operating system.

6. You need direct access to the hardware

Sometimes you need access to actual hardware. You may want to develop a device driver for a piece of hardware, or you may be running a GPU-accelerated workload. These advanced uses are best suited with a full Linux installation.

These are advanced uses that are best suited for complete Linux installations.

Through this article, you should understand the differences, advantages and disadvantages between WSL and standard Linux distributions, as well as their respective suitable usage scenarios. Overall, WSL is a lightweight solution that allows you to quickly run Linux commands and tools on Windows systems without the need to configure a virtual machine or dual-boot. WSL also makes it easy to exchange files and data between Windows and Linux. However, WSL also has some limitations, such as low file system performance, incompatibility of some system calls, and the inability to run graphical interface programs. If you need a complete Linux desktop environment, or have higher requirements for performance and compatibility, then installing a standard Linux distribution may be a better choice.

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