When comparing Gnu On Windows vs Windows Subsystem for Linux, the Slant community recommends Windows Subsystem for Linux for most people. In the question“What are the best collections of Unix libraries for Windows?” Windows Subsystem for Linux is ranked 1st while Gnu On Windows is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose Windows Subsystem for Linux is:
There's no VM overhead because WSL is not a VM.
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Pros
Pro Lightweight
Around 10 MB (alternatives can be 10 times this size).
Pro Stable binaries
All commands are kept up to date but also as stable as possible.
Pro Shell window from any directory
Adds a Windows Explorer shell window so that you can right-click on any directory and open a command (cmd.exe) window from that directory.
Pro Installer
Manage the path, can add a "Command Prompt Here" shortcut. Good for beginners needing these tools.
Pro Light resource usage unlike virtual machines
There's no VM overhead because WSL is not a VM.
Pro Includes common UNIX utilities
Windows Subsystem for Linux comes with common UNIX utilities such as grep
, awk
, etc.
Pro Supports multiple Linux distributions
WSL supports multiple Linux distros, and you can use the distro's package manager (e.g. apt-get
on Ubuntu) to install other tools and binaries.
Pro Runs native Linux tools
Cons
Con Too complicated
It's complicated to use as it requires moving files to/from wsl to base windows.
Con You can't mix and match installations - utilities added to the subsystem are only available in the subsystem
If you install node in the Windows subsystem, it is not available in Windows, only in the subsystem and vice versa.