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0 pointsp_ing10mo ago0 comments

Yeah, surprise Linux had to play catch up to a Windows 1994 release! Same with the scheduler, I'd argue Windows does OOM better than Linux today...

Windows even had the concept of io_uring before, but network only with Registered I/O back in the Windows 8 (8.1?) days.

Linux still lacks the "all I/O is async" NT has.

The underlying kernel and executive of Windows aren't primitive pieces of trash. They're quite advanced, ruined by PMs and the Ads division throwing crap on top.

And yes, Windows' I/O Ring is a near 1:1 copy of the Linux implementation, but IOCP/OVERLAPPED I/O data structure preceded it since NT's first release.

This isn't a pissing match, just we all hope that kernel devs learn from each other and take the best ideas. Sometimes we, IT, don't get to choose the OS we run -- it's dictated by the apps the business requires.

0 comments

cyberax10mo ago

> Same with the scheduler

Windows does OOM far better than Linux because it doesn't really overcommit RAM.

But the CPU _scheduler_ in Linux is far, far, far better than in Windows. Linux can even do hard-realtime, after all.

greenavocado10mo ago

How difficult would it be to completely tear out the Windows desktop experience and just use the system and display drivers without the rest? Has anybody attempted such a feat?

p_ingOP10mo ago

There is Windows Server Core which removes everything but a CLI, but you still have the normal login experience, you still have a "desktop" (no start menu, taskbar, etc), you can still launch normal Win32 apps... for the most part (task manager, notepad, and so on).

Win32 is also responsible for core Services, which means you can't de-Windows-ify Windows and strip it down to an NT API-only. All other personalities (OS/2, POSIX, SFU) have a dependency on Win32, as well.

You're still running the WindowServer of course; it's part of the Executive.

That said, with a bunch of modifications, NTDEV did get Windows 11 down to it's bare minimum, and text only to boot. So I guess it's technically possible, though not useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL6t_iuitxM

smileybarry10mo ago

> There is Windows Server Core which removes everything but a CLI, but you still have the normal login experience, you still have a "desktop" (no start menu, taskbar, etc), you can still launch normal Win32 apps... for the most part (task manager, notepad, and so on).

Yep, they've replaced nearly every UI with text (the login window is a TUI), though there's still some shell DLLs and the whole thing still uses a window manager. That's honestly for the best, since it allows you to migrate full installations with some UI-based apps to a Core installation with them intact.

> That said, with a bunch of modifications, NTDEV did get Windows 11 down to it's bare minimum, and text only to boot. So I guess it's technically possible, though not useful.

Windows has had a "text mode" since at least Windows XP IIRC, but it's really not that useful, if at all. Even for rescue operations you're better off with Windows PE.

Ericson231410mo ago

There is always https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReactOS ! :)

password432110mo ago

Free-as-in-beer Hyper-V Server 2019 is in extended support (only security updates) until 2029.

dboreham10mo ago

There are several such things. The Windows installer uses one. X-Box uses another.

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