- WSL is virtual machine that runs in a virtual filesystem.
- msys2 is a port of linux tools that run directly in Windows.
- So WSL performance may be lower, especially with file operations.
- Also the integration may not be as intuitive (you have to think about which filesystem the files exist; you can't just open up any file from a Windows app.)
I find Git bash for Windows sufficient for most of my daily dev tasks. If something like make failed to work for some reason, then I might reach for WSL. (So far, I haven't needed to.)
Sorry, I just saw your reply. Seems reasonable. I like the flexibility of knowing that every Linux tool available for mainstream distros is available in WSL, and I don't have to think about compatibility (I run into issues now and again, but most software works just fine). But I guess it makes sense that if you're only using a few tools, and they're all in msys2, then that might be a smoother solution.
- msys2 is a port of linux tools that run directly in Windows.
- So WSL performance may be lower, especially with file operations.
- Also the integration may not be as intuitive (you have to think about which filesystem the files exist; you can't just open up any file from a Windows app.)
- Also Git bash for windows is faster than msys2 (or at least used to be): https://stackoverflow.com/a/47078501/117030
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I find Git bash for Windows sufficient for most of my daily dev tasks. If something like make failed to work for some reason, then I might reach for WSL. (So far, I haven't needed to.)