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. EDIT: It seems like using WSL is servicable, while being janky at times. Gotta see how it goes.
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.
+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.
Sounds more like a win-lin result to me.
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.
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 seem to have irrational hatred on Windows.
Besides, there is programming work which is conducted entirely on linux server.
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.
Or they are simply overworked like most IT teams.
Managing Linux devices is more complicated since it was very poor Intune and GPO support so you basically have to have another separate system for that.
We only have Linux workstations at work because a dev outside IT, setup their own Linux platform and does it support it. IT support won’t help with any problems though.
The only way Linux workstations are officially supported is that they have certificates for 802.1x.
If the person that supports the Linux platform quits I’m not sure anyone else could take up the task. The Linux sysadmins might but I doubt they have the time for that.
A few people also setup their own Linux computers and abused a flaw in the 802.1x. implementation that allowed them to use Ethernet with a username and password instead of a certificate. That is fortunately fixed now.
Yeah that’s a good point.
The thing with our organization is they selected technologies that are simply not compatible with Linux. Even using WSL is complicated.
It’s dumb because the vast majority of the tasks I do and the technologies I work with is almost exclusively made to work on Linux or requires a Linux VM to work.