[Cialug] Linux on Windows

[Todd Walton]

I have recently come into contact with a Windows operating system. Don't
worry, I'm quarantining. The problem is, it's going to be ongoing. My new
employer requires that I use Windows, for the sole purpose (that I can
figure) that I have special equipment on it that allows me to connect to
their network. Some sort of MAC filtering, I'm guessing, and a badge
swiper/reader for SSO.

Anyway, I don't have the actual laptop yet so I'm not sure if it's Windows
10 or 11. If it's Windows 11, I am 100% installing WSL2 and using it. If
it's Windows 10........ how does one use Linux on a Windows 10 workstation?
I don't think WSL1 is going to cut it for me. I've been trying to use it in
the VDI session they've given me and it's not quite up to par. A bit of
preliminary net surfing reveals to me that there are alternatives to Cygwin
these days. There's also MinGW, MSYS2, and Git for Windows. Obviously, one
would prefer that one's filesystem be able to create proper symlinks. But
one would prefer not to be in this situation to begin with, so one
understands that one doesn't always get what one wants.

Any suggestions? Any real-world experiences to share?

--
Todd