[GRASS-dev] GRASS + WSL

[Brad ReDacted]

Hello,

It was suggested to me that I report to the list that GRASS almost fully compiles and runs under Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Everything compiles except ximgview.

For those who do not know what WSL is, it is sort of a hidden VM layer addon for Windows with a custom kernel that allows Linux to run on Windows.

I am using the Ubuntu WSL Preview on Windows 11 with WSL2. This combination gives me full GUI without needing to run a separate X Server. Graphics are accelerated (nvidia, in my case). I have not had a chance to test everything, yet, but it does look promising.

On Windows 10, you will need to run a separate middleware X Server to get the GUI working until the next release of WSL.

This may eventually replace the need for MinGW for the most recent releases of Windows. I look forward to running performance benchmarks.

It's linux, but it's on my Windows desktop! It's a bit surreal.

Best Regards,
-Brad