Hello all! I began working today, where the work is closely related to programming. Despite this, the work computer is set up as Windows (eww). I want to look for work-arounds, as installing linux on a work machine is a no-go.
I wonder, what is the way to minimize pain from having to use windows? Either that, or a way to maximize work done on linux-like stuffs. A linux server is given for us, and I think I can install WSL. Any recommendations on this setup?
Especially, I miss the virtual desktop feature, is there any way to use it? Is there a way I can run compositor through WSL? Also, should I install Pop! OS for the feature, or is it available on e.g. Ubuntu (default WSL)?
Sorry to ask a non-exclusively-linux question, but I think, hopefully, many linux people have experience to give me pointers what to do with a windows work environment.
EDIT: The Windows is Windows 10.
Install Microsoft Powertoys, and AltSnap
Chocolatey and Windhawk
EDIT: The Windows is Windows 10.
Enjoy it while it lasts. It’ll soon be much, much worse.
I recently upgraded to Windows 11 and it’s absolutely fine. Admittedly I did some research, got the IoT LTSC version and enabled the Rufus options to remove account requirements etc. But after that it’s pretty much the same as Windows 10, just slightly swisher animations.
it’s pretty much the same as Windows 10, just slightly swisher animations.
And ten times more unusable without several third party programs to fix the absolutely fubared UI.
It takes about ten clicks more, on average, to do anything in 11 than in 10.
Utterly unusable garbage, is what it is, even if you ignore all the spyware and bloatware and lost functionality.
(Of course the same could be said of 10 in regards to XP, and XP in regards to 2000, so really it’s utterly unusable garbage cubed.)
I…honestly don’t know what you mean, and I’ve had 11 since about when it came out. Do you have an example?
Lots of settings actually seem more convenient now, especially the ones for audio and Bluetooth.
Try to configure a printer.
Try to configure a network adapter.
Try to configure graphics settings.
Try to organise the start menu to make it even remotely useable.
Try to uninstall a store app for all users without having to use undocumented powershell incantations.
And I’m already wanting to punch something, so I’ll stop now.Lots of settings actually seem more convenient now, especially the ones for audio and Bluetooth.
Sure, if all you want is to turn them on or off and you don’t want to actually configure anything.
You know. I did all of those for my grandmother a few months back.
If you’re having problems with those things, that’s a you problem. Wasn’t difficult at all to set it up for her, including Uninstalling bloat.
Yes, for some I did Google a powershell solution. Literally, “how to uninstall X with powershell” and boom. Done.
I get it. It’s cool to hate on windows. I miss 7 too. But you just come across as technologically impaired.
You’ve failed to mention a single thing that can be qualified as a daily use-case. Okay, it might take an extra click or two to set up a printer, but this isn’t something you do every day unless you work in an IT department. Even then, it sounds like you’re rather irritated that things aren’t how they used to be.
Well, seeing as I only just installed Windows 11 I actually do need to do those, so here goes:
Try to configure a printer.
Windows button -> “add printer” -> Click “Add a printer or scanner” -> Click “Add Device” -> Oh my god it actually found my shitty wifi printer immediately! -> Click Add -> Jesus it actually worked quickly and without any issues. I’m actually blown away by this. It’s never worked anywhere close to this smoothly on Linux, Windows 10 or even Mac.
Try to configure a network adapter.
Well I don’t really need to do this but let’s imagine I want to set a static IP.
Windows button -> “net…” ok it wants to show me Settings but it did show me “View Network Connections” for a second too, which based on my experience of Windows 10 is a better bet… -> Right click -> Properties -> TCP/IPv4 -> Properties… Ok everything here appears to be absolutely identical to Windows 10.
Try to configure graphics settings.
Hmm I do want to know what refresh rate I’m using. IIRC in Windows 10 this was always most easily available by right clicking the desktop (yeah it’s not like Windows 10 was exactly consistent).
Right click -> Display settings -> Ok this isn’t what I remember from Windows 7 & maybe 10.
Can’t see refresh rate, but there is “Advanced display”, oh it actually says “Display information, refresh rate” in the subtitle. 100 Hz great.
Try to organise the start menu to make it even remotely useable.
The start menu wasn’t really usable in Windows 10 either. This is certainly an improvement at least - no shitty links to OneDrive or whatever to remove (in the IoT edition at least). The only thing I had to do here was move it to the left instead of the centre, which was fortunately easy.
Try to uninstall a store app for all users without having to use undocumented powershell incantations.
IoT edition doesn’t actually have the Windows Store.
I’ve had my laptop reimaged at work with windows 11. It’s horrible. I miss windows 10 honestly.
Window 10 sucks compared to Windows 11 enterprise.
🤦♂️
Why aren’t you discussing this with your leadership?
If you’re doing Linux dev work, there must be a reason your team is using Windows, and they have process around dev tasks. And your team must have process/tools for what your role does.
This seems very much like an internal discussion around what your team does.
I see, I gotta talk about it with the leadership. For context, my work is just a small university lab (5~20 people), so I expect it to be less organized.
Actually, it’s pretty surprising to me that a small university lab is forcing a specific version of a specific OS on you.
I see; it is not forcing per se, it’s just that the computer comes with Windows pre-installed, and I am worried that changing it will cause more issues than it’s worth.
What are you doing? Why do you need Linux at all?
I tried at my job. Basically the IT guys are too incompetent and don’t know how to manage Linux computers.
But the company had to be able to have control over what users install, they must also have a VPN and proxy set up in a way that they can monitor what employees do or what they browse. They currently use Zscaler.
+1 for bringing it up as serious discussion.
The last time I had to ask permission for something like this, the issue turned out to be simply that the IT staff wasn’t trained in Linux and therefore couldn’t support it. I was more than capable of administering my own Linux box and ensuring that it wouldn’t become a risk to our company network, so we agreed that I would do that.
It was a win-win result: I had the tool I needed to be most productive, and IT had fewer machines to support.
WSL2 with VSCode is really common. Windows Terminal is actually good. I use Ubuntu at work, and run Docker community edition and Vim. Firefox in the windows instance. Biggest issue is always the corporate firewall, good luck!
My boss lets me remote into a Linux VM hosted on a company server. You could just use a normal VM.
When people complain about Windows in a work environment, I wonder really what their complaints are. I mean I don’t like windows either but at the end of the day you’re just using visual studio and maybe a terminal emulator to access your work. Your codebase is on a test server or production server.
That said, my mind was blown when I used my first mac. Even the best windows laptop I’ve been given at work would maybe last 4 hours without charging. I can use my Mac for almost two days without charging it which makes going to the office that much easier when I can sit outside. I don’t know if Windows is just extremely inefficient with its resource management or of it’s all the bullshit spyware companies bloat every PC with but if the company absolutely won’t let you install a Linux desktop OS I’d just ask for a Mac. Plenty of staff use them at universities
I really dislike the implementation of virtual desktops in Windows compared to say Plasma, but it is there, and it gets the job done. I realize this doesn’t solve your other problems.
https://www.howtogeek.com/796349/how-to-use-virtual-desktops-on-windows-11/
Win10 similar.
Thanks, I will look into it.
What exactly are you trying to get around? The question is kinda broad.
If your issue is your program behaving differently or being hard to set up depending on the OS, a common strategy is Docker.
PS: why is your employer forcing you to use old Windows that’s going to go end-of-life basically tomorrow morning? That’s odd.
They said they work at a university…
Universities tend to be fans of outdated software?
A few years ago a pretty big state university I worked at didn’t use any kind of NAT. They had such a large public network space(a lot of universities do) that they would just give hosts public IPs. You could go home and just RDP into your desktop. Universities can be a wild wild west.
They are very slow to change
A virtual machine with Linux might be an option or Remote Desktop to a linux machine.
If its just about virtual desktops:
Windows 11 has that, i think win+ctrl+d creates a new one and win+ctrl+left arrow/right arrow scrolls through the desktops.
with that Docker and WSL(because powershell confuses me, and iam to lazy to learn it) i work pretty much the same as i would on a linux machine with a non-tiling window manager.
Thanks, sadly the setup is windows 10, so I guess no tiling for me :/ EDIT: Seems like there is virtual desktop feature in windows 10!
i remember powertoys offering tiling for win10
If your machine has nvidia you can install the nvidia window manager thing for nvidia tiling, I only used it for a bit so can’t really say it was good
Windows terminal for starters. Windows has virtual desktops built in.
Windows virtual desktops are not what I would call a good experience. I personally would just use the task bar to switch between Windows.
What virtual desktops do you prefer? I don’t find Mac OS’s significantly better, and I haven’t spent much time with very many Linux window managers other than i3 (and that was years ago).
- git bash
How do I use windows virtual desktop?
Win + Tab.
Have you asked whether they’d be okay with a dual-boot? I recently started work as well (gamedev) and while most of the studio is on Windows I was able to set up a NixOS install for productivity (and to test the game on more configs).
Programming on Windows can be totally fine, if you’re working with a language that cares about Windows support. E.g. in my experience:
- Good: Rust, Go, C#, Java, Deno, Dart
- Okish: Python, C++, Node
- Bad: Perl, OCaml
If it’s in the “bad” category I would recommend installing WSL and using VSCode’s remote feature that lets you have a Windows copy of VSCode connect to WSL.
WSL, if not then msys2/git bash at bare minimum
Poweshell 7 is okay if you have access to it but regular day to day shell scripting is like as 10x more verbose with powershell than bash
I just use WSL at work, extremely fortunate to be able to despite IT locking down everything as much as possible
I want to look for work-arounds
It’s not your computer, i highly recommend you ask for permission.
Especially, I miss the virtual desktop feature,
SysInternals has that feature (Desktops specifically) you can use for Windows 10 (and i think it’s native on 11). This is a common feature in most Linux distros…
What i do is work mostly on VirtualBox VMs, but had to have clearance from IT for that (and for USB) 'cos i do all kinds off stuff that triggers their normie warnings.
I see, I will note myself to ask permission about these stuffs. Thanks!
What kind of programming work are you doing?
I’ve thought about situations like yours and what I would do if I were in that situation someday. For me, the plan is to try doing as much in the console as possible, which means Vim/Neovim for development and Tmux for window management.
Podman desktop
