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| # Sidebar on Operating Systems | ||
| ⚠️ This section is laced with sarcasm. ⚠️ | ||
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||
| Containers are a technology created from combining a few Linux kernel features. | ||
| This makes them incredibly versatile _and_ just confusing enough to be wrapped in thick layers of software and high-tech jargon. | ||
| Many others have written about the technology underpinning containers[^2], so I won't go into more detail here. | ||
| I merely point this out to emphasize that non-Linux operating systems only access containers via Virtual Machines (VM) hosting Linux.[^3] | ||
| Specifically, this means the other two big operating systems (Mircrosoft Windoze and Mac OS X) must be accomodated with VMs. | ||
|
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||
| #### Windoze | ||
| (Misspelling Windows as Windoze since I think its funny.) | ||
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| Microsoft released Windoze Subsystem for Linux (WSL) in 2016 after finally realizing that work can only really get done | ||
| within a functional operating system (like Linux-based ones). | ||
| While largely expected to be apart of their [Embrace Extend Extinguish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend,_and_extinguish) | ||
| methodology, it still benefits us in that we can use containers in an almost equivalent way they would be used on a Linux system with | ||
| the added step of having to wait for Windoze to boot and open WSL. | ||
| One of the most popular container runners docker [just plainly tells people to use WSL](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/windows-install/) | ||
| when installing it. | ||
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||
| With this context in mind, **`denv` supports Windoze indirectly through WSL** in the same manner as docker. | ||
| If you are on Windoze, first enable WSL and then interact with docker | ||
| (or whatever runner you want[^4]) and `denv` within the WSL terminal. | ||
|
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||
| #### Mac OS X | ||
| Both docker and podman support Mac OS X by spawning light weight VMs that can be kept idle while awaiting | ||
| container instruction.[^5] Since Mac OS X has a more similar filesystem (and presumably kernel) to Linux, | ||
| its VM is able to have a tighter integration with the host system. This has both benefits and difficulties. | ||
| The benefit is that we presumably get performance improvements (I'm assuming this, I have not tested it.) | ||
| The downside is that the user is not exposed directly to a terminal within the Linux kernel system like they | ||
| are for Windoze (via WSL) or bare-metal Linux. This is an issue for `denv` | ||
| (and [for other container wrappers](https://github.com/89luca89/distrobox/issues/36)) since, as a wrapper, | ||
| we are trying to connect the container and host which is difficult to do when given only limited access | ||
| to the intermediary VM layer. | ||
|
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||
| With this context in mind, **`denv` has limited support for Mac OS X**. Namely, `denv` is able to support | ||
| _non-ID-necessary processes_ within the constructed denv. For example, compiling and running a program | ||
| within `denv` works fine but making a commit with `git` within it does not. | ||
| The discovery of this limitation and any ongoing work | ||
| is tracked in [denv Issue #102](https://github.com/tomeichlersmith/denv/issues/102). | ||
|
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||
| #### Graphical Applications | ||
| `denv` ensures that the X11 apps spawned from within the container can connect with the host | ||
| by passing the `DISPLAY` environment variable and mounting the `/tmp/.X11-unix` directory. | ||
| For Linux-hosts and WSL, this is enough[^6]; however, on MacOS additional setup is required. | ||
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| If you don't plan to use a graphical application from within the a denv (or if you are just | ||
| using a network-based application like Jupyter Lab), then there is no need to do this | ||
| additional setup on MacOS. [These instructions](https://gist.github.com/roaldnefs/fe9f36b0e8cf2890af14572c083b516c)[^7] | ||
| which basically amount to installing XQuartz[^8] and then disabling access control | ||
| with `xhost +` (check links for specific, permanent configuration of XQuartz after installation). | ||
|
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||
| [^2]: [The container is a lie](https://platform.sh/blog/the-container-is-a-lie/) is a nice article going into detail | ||
| about the underpinnings of containers with a bit a click-baity title.Charliecloud's | ||
| [containers are not special](https://hpc.github.io/charliecloud/tutorial.html#containers-are-not-special) | ||
| is only a moderate improvement in the title department and another approach to the material. Finally, I've liked | ||
| [containers from scratch](https://ericchiang.github.io/post/containers-from-scratch/) which takes a more educational | ||
| approach to help readers see why wrapping container creation and running in managers has been done (while also | ||
| showing that it is an easy enough procedure for there to be many managers floating around). | ||
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| [^3]: _Technically_, I might be wrong here since a specific kernel might offer the same features that Linux | ||
| offers that enables containers (or a specific subset of configurations of containers), but I digress. | ||
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| [^4]: While I haven't tested this myself or found any evidence online, I expect that since docker | ||
| functions within WSL other runners will function within WSL as well although they won't have a | ||
| graphical interface running outside of WSL (Docker Desktop). | ||
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| [^5]: I am not as familiar with the technical underpinnings of how docker or podman on Mac works since | ||
| I have not had a computer to test and learn with it myself. If you have a technical correction to this | ||
| section, please feel free to open an Issue or PR. | ||
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| [^6]: I haven't tested this thoroughly on WSL, but [WSL's Containers page](https://github.com/microsoft/wslg/blob/main/samples/container/Containers.md) | ||
| appears to support this conclusion as well. This page also implies that `denv` could support Wayland | ||
| applications with a few more mounts and environment variables. | ||
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| [^7]: Or [these](https://gist.github.com/sorny/969fe55d85c9b0035b0109a31cbcb088). Honestly, there | ||
| are many tutorials after searching for "docker macos graphics" or similar. | ||
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||
| [^8]: You can install XQuartz [using brew](https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/xquartz) | ||
| or [using the `.dmg` file](https://www.xquartz.org/). |