WSL is a Misleading Acronym/Name Because There's No Linux in It, It's Just Windows

Dr. Roy Schestowitz

2019-02-16 12:03:00 UTC
Modified: 2019-02-16 12:03:00 UTC

Similarly, SQL Server does not run on GNU/Linux (it's another Microsoft lie)

WSL comment
Why "Windows Subsystem for Linux" and not "GNU/Windows"? (from Microsoft GitHub, now in NSA PRISM)

Summary: When Microsoft says "Linux" (as in "Microsoft loves Linux") what it actually means is Windows and/or Azure

TECHRIGHTS published a number of articles about the WSL entrapment when it was first announced (Canonical's "gift" to Microsoft). Here's one of the longer ones. It did not at all herald a change in attitude but a change in strategy. Microsoft's managers (the Board, i.e. Bill Gates et al) try to prevent people from using proper GNU/Linux with the actual kernel, either as standalone operating system or dual-boot. They try to make things just about functional enough to prevent users from leaving the spyware, Vista 10. This is also about surveillance on one's files, keys (e.g. SSH), keystrokes, and everything else. It's about control. It is about back doors.

"Is Microsoft gradually cooking up a hybrid that's called "Linux" but is actually Windows?"Yesterday we saw an article titled "Windows 10 Will Finally Offer Easy Access to Linux Files"; that's misleading as there's no "Linux" in it, WSL is not GNU/Linux and those files are actually on Windows. Is Microsoft gradually cooking up a hybrid that's called "Linux" but is actually Windows? The confusion alone serves its interests, e.g. calling SQL Server on DrawBridge (Windows) SQL Server for "Linux" when it's really just some Windows-centric blob. Remember what Steve Ballmer said: "I would love to see all open source innovation happen on top of Windows." ⬆

Embrace and Extend
Credit: unknown (Twitter)

Linux Kernel Needs Diversity and Diversity of Good Code, Not LLM Slop: Linux (and Linus) are kicking a can down the road
Techrights Was Right About a Fake Security Model Built Around Lies or Built Upon Trust in "Certificates" and "Authorities" (like Microsoft): We have begun to amass some media reports and blog posts from technical sites
Links 22/10/2026: eBay to Lay Off a Tenth of Staff (Again), Node.js and PHP Security Crises, Climate News: Links for the day
Red Hat Layoffs Still Going on This Week (Whilst IBM's Debt Grows in Spite of Mass Layoffs): IBM is bluffing/cheating the shareholders again
IBM's Debt Continues to Increase While the Company Rapidly Shrinks: This is what a dying company looks like
Intercontinental Brigading - Part XI - Losing Over a Million Pounds (Borrowed Money) to Try to Silence Critics of Restricted Boot With Microsoft-Controlled "Certificates": Garrett is also very jealous of Daniel Pocock
Microsoft Shrinks Every Year: Microsoft will try to spin or twist this as "efficiency"
Gemini Links 22/10/2026: Holiday Inn and Emacs: Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, October 21, 2026: IRC logs for Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Windows Monopoly is No Longer Sustainable (the Case of Oceania): This is why Microsoft layoffs are happening all the time
Some Downtime Possible Shortly (Router Work): We don't use PHP in the site anymore
Mass Layoffs at Microsoft This Week and/or Next Week: Cannot pull a bunny out of some hat
With Its Future on the Line, EPO Management (Dictatorship) Resorts to Further Escalations to Fake 'Production' and Curtail Industrial Actions: It's clear that with a yearlong campaign of industrial actions - including strikes - Campinos cannot save face anymore
Gemini Links 21/10/2026: Summer Day in Tokyo (30c in Late October) and Whole Food for the Whole World: Links for the day
Links 21/10/2026: "Zelensky Took the Gloves Off This Time With Convicted Felon" and "Cellebrite iPhone Radio Zero-Day": Links for the day
Reuters is Becoming Slop, Not a News Agency (Treat Reports From Reuters Sceptically): In their own words
Disclosure/s Crisis at The Register MS (Promoting a Ponzi Scheme for Money): So now they sell several schemes/scams at the same time, not limited to the slop
Links 21/10/2026: "The Tragic Death of the Republican Party" and "No War But Data Center War": Links for the day
Internet Relay Chat Still Growing: The numbers go up, not down [...] Don't believe the doomers
Intercontinental Brigading - Part X - American Back Doors Inside Our Computers, With Transatlantic Swatting Against Critics Thrown 'Into the Mix': "If your Windows PC's Secure Boot certificates are out of date, your system is vulnerable to malware like rootkits."
Gemini Links 21/10/2026: A Walk Through Amsterdam and Pythagorean Theorem: Links for the day
More Mass Layoffs at Microsoft Weeks From Now, Then Again Months From Now: Microsoft's crisis is not limited to XBox
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, October 20, 2026: IRC logs for Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Gemini Links 20/10/2026: The Brothers Who Fought Mussolini and a Dying Main Laptop: Links for the day
Brett Wilson LLP Has Almost Zero Litigation Clients This Year (in the Area They Specialise in): The silence on the financial front, combined with the lack of new clients, is deafening
Where to Celebrate the 20-Year Anniversary: let us know in IRC
Cheapening of the Workforce at IBM and Microsoft, Typically Without Even Announcing Any Layoffs: from leadership to compelled "retirement"
Help Us Improve Techrights: The site relies on teamwork in a growing community; even readers are part of it
Links 20/10/2026: $100 Million ICE “Intelligence” Program and France Riots: Links for the day
Gemini Links 20/10/2026: GAFAM GCP Outage in the UK and New Oddμ Release: Links for the day
Articles in The Register MS Composed by Employees of the Companies They're About: The Register MS is the place to be
Intercontinental Brigading - Part IX - Swatting is Not Funny, Swatting is a Murder Attempt: “Swatting is not harmless. It is a serious crime that can lead to dangerous situations and divert law enforcement away from someone facing an actual emergency. What callers may believe to be a ‘joke’ actually risks the public safety of our communities and can carry lifelong consequences for those responsible”
Links 20/10/2026: Facebook Scraping and Plagiarising News Sites, Copyright Act Turns 50: Links for the day
Microsoft's XBox Leadership and Strategy is Slop: XBox sales are already worst in the entire history of XBox
81% Voted in Favour of EPO Strikes Until End of This Year: Who's in the line of succession at EPO?
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, October 19, 2026: IRC logs for Monday, October 19, 2026
Gemini Links 20/10/2026: Old Movies, Bandera Hike, and Mongolian: Links for the day

WSL is a Misleading Acronym/Name Because There's No Linux in It, It's Just Windows

Recent Techrights' Posts