More powerful Windows command-lines

PowerShell

• Windows PowerShell
  • Run - powershell
  • Aliases give multiple names to some commands - including some Unix names - ls, cat, cp, rm.
  • Has directory wildcards.

• PowerShell tutorial

• ss64.com
  • PowerShell reference

Other scripting

• Windows Script Host - write scripts in JScript (Microsoft JavaScript) and VBScript
• Windows Resource Kits - many command-line tools.

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Proper Linux on Windows

• Windows Subsystem for Linux (2016) introduced on Windows 10 (2015).
• Proper Linux compatible environment. Linux binaries can run in it.
• Real bash shell with real Linux command-line utilities.

• install:
  1. Windows - Search for "Turn Windows Features On Or Off" - Enable "Windows Subsystem for Linux"
  2. Start - Microsoft Store - search for "Linux" - install whatever Linux distribution you want, e.g. Ubuntu

• Gives command-line with Linux commands.
• Linux files are under root dir /
• Home directory: /home/userid

Linux and Windows files

• Can we modify Windows files with Linux tools?
  • Yes. Windows files are under drive letters like: /mnt/c
  • You can edit them with Linux tools, just like any normal Linux files.

• Can we modify Linux files with Windows tools?
  • In the initial 2016 release, No
  • But since 2019, Yes
  • In File Explorer, something like:

     \\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\userid 

  • Use the wsl address. The files actually have another, hidden address on your drive. Do not use that or there are file system corruption issues. Use the wsl address and all will be well. You can edit them with Windows tools, just like any normal Windows files.

Scripting may be slow

• A warning however. If you use Linux scripts to process Windows files, they run slow.
• One-off access is fine. You will not notice. But accessing many files in a loop can run very slow. Can be hundreds of times slower than normal Linux.
• The problem is Linux reading Windows file system. This is inherently slow
• Comparing WSL 1 and WSL 2. Advice is to copy/move files to Linux filesystem. Then scripts are fast.

GUI

• For GUI, install an X server
  • e.g. Xming
• and add DISPLAY to .bashrc

   export DISPLAY=localhost:0.0 

• To add a line to .bashrc:
  • could use command-line editor
  • or just append line:
    echo "export DISPLAY=localhost:0.0" >> .bashrc

Windows 10 running Ubuntu and Xming.
wget on command-line
gedit in GUI
Still have Windows desktop.
See full size.

root access

• You have root access
• You can use package mangers like apt to update applications
  1. sudo apt update
  2. sudo apt install gedit

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Windows Terminal

• Windows Terminal
• Advanced command-line.
• Integrates with regular cmd line, PowerShell, and Windows Subsystem for Linux.
• See announce.

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