this post was submitted on 12 Oct 2023
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Ugh, I hate this. At a time when many are searching the internet for guides, they're injecting the search results with "It's better if you keep Windows. But if you really, really want to, you can go through the COMPLICATED process of installing Linux BARE METAL 😱"
I think that's exaggerating. The instructions are actually fairly neutral and extremely informative, minus the obvious upsells on Microsoft software and services. It's clear that they ordered the list of install methods by lowest complexity and highest user-friendliness, specifically for people who have only ever known Windows. It's a good thing for Linux to give this audience a fallback option if something goes wrong with their install and they are unable to use it or fix it. If they get frustrated or brick their PC the first time they use Linux, they'll likely go back to Windows and never return.
They explain virtual machines, dual booting, the various pros and cons to different install methods, which methods are suitable for which purposes... I wish I had such a helpful article the first time I used Linux.
Now, my cynical read on this article is that it's a way for Microsoft to avoid the appearance of monopolizing the desktop market: "see regulators? we show people how they can leave our closed garden ecosystem!" But the text of the article is hardly one massive scare tactic.
Yeah, I do agree. It just bothers me that they're trying to pass off emulating a Linux installation (under Windows hypervision) as "installing" and refer to a true install as "bare metal", as if your Windows installation isn't. But it does give new users a chance to try it out.
Virtualization is not “emulating” and a bare metal install is a bare metal installation. These are standard terms. And it’s a hypervisor, no idea what the hell a hypervision is.
Yeah, you might be able to call WSL 1 emulation but WSL 2 is just a VM that's easy to use.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/compare-versions#whats-new-in-wsl-2
This is clearly aimed at existing Microsoft customers wanting to use Linux for different purposes
Huh? That guide is pretty extensive in providing different options and ways, but it's not complicated at all. The whole thing is about 2500 words, that would be about 5 pages printed. That's probably much shorter than most Windows guides, and they are not typically offering so many options.