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Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) VS fish shell

Compare Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) VS fish shell and see what are their differences

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Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) logo Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

Learn more about how the Windows Subsystem for Linux works.

fish shell logo fish shell

The friendly interactive shell.
  • Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-17
  • fish shell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-23

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) features and specs

  • Seamless Integration
    WSL allows users to run a Linux distribution alongside their Windows environment, enabling a seamless workflow that combines the best of both operating systems without the need for dual booting.
  • Ease of Use
    Setting up WSL is straightforward via the Microsoft Store, and it provides a user-friendly way to access Linux tools without complex installations or virtual machine setups.
  • Performance
    WSL offers near-native performance for Linux applications, as it manages system calls directly using the Windows kernel, providing better speed compared to traditional virtual machines.
  • Resource Efficiency
    Since it doesn't require a full Linux kernel virtualized layer, WSL consumes fewer resources (such as RAM and CPU), allowing for more efficient multitasking with Windows applications.
  • Development Environment
    WSL provides developers with access to powerful Linux-based tools and frameworks directly from Windows, making it attractive for cross-platform development.

Possible disadvantages of Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

  • Limited Hardware Support
    WSL might not fully support all hardware features, especially those related to complex peripherals or proprietary drivers that are typically better handled by native Linux installations.
  • Incomplete Linux Experience
    While WSL gives access to many Linux capabilities, it may not support certain system-level operations or kernel modules that are possible in a complete Linux environment.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Some Linux applications or packages might not run smoothly or at all on WSL, requiring workarounds or alternates to achieve the desired functionality.
  • Networking Limitations
    Networking setup may be more complex with WSL, including limited support for certain networking namespaces, which can hinder specific use cases like advanced networking configurations.
  • Overhead Concerns
    Despite lower resource usage than full virtual machines, there's still some performance overhead with WSL due to the translation layer for Linux system calls on the Windows kernel.

fish shell features and specs

  • User-Friendly Syntax
    Fish shell features a more readable and user-friendly syntax compared to traditional shells like Bash or Zsh, making it easier for new users to learn and use.
  • Modern Features
    Fish shell includes out-of-the-box support for modern shell features such as syntax highlighting, autosuggestions, and smart command-line completions, greatly enhancing the user experience.
  • Web-Based Configuration
    Users can configure Fish shell through a web interface, making it more accessible and easier to customize compared to other shells that require manual configuration file edits.
  • Consistent Scripting
    Fish shell uses a consistent scripting language, which reduces the quirks and peculiarities often found in other shell scripting languages.

Possible disadvantages of fish shell

  • Compatibility Issues
    Fish shell is not POSIX compliant, which means scripts written in Fish will not be compatible with other POSIX-compliant shells like Bash or Zsh, potentially causing issues in environments that rely on such standards.
  • Smaller Ecosystem
    Compared to shells like Bash and Zsh, Fish has a smaller ecosystem of plugins, themes, and community support, which could limit available resources and tools.
  • Learning Curve for Experienced Users
    Experienced users of traditional shells like Bash or Zsh might find Fish's different syntax and features take some time to adapt to, potentially reducing initial productivity.
  • Limited Script Portability
    Scripts written in Fish shell are often not portable to other shell environments without significant modification, reducing their usability in multi-shell setups.

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) videos

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Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) Tutorial & How To

fish shell videos

+ Add

this tank is not overstocked | Fish Tank Review Ep. 1

More videos:

  • Review - Can Female Bettas Live In A Bowl Together? | Fish Tank Review 36
  • Review - Ryan's First Time Catching Fish for Dinner!!!

Category Popularity

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Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

fish shell

Web And Application Servers
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Cryptocurrencies
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Cryptocurrencies
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Development Tools
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Development Tools
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Blockchain
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User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

fish shell might be a bit more popular than Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). We know about 134 links to it since March 2021 and only 125 links to Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) mentions (125)

  • What I wish I knew about Python when I started
    If you are running Microsoft Windows, I want to advise one more prerequisite step that you need to take before getting started with Python or uv: install the Windows Subsystem for Linux, also known as WSL2. Do not, for the love of all that is good and holy, try and install Python tooling directly in Windows; install WSL first. This guide outlines all the steps you need to take to get started, though I recommend... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Using curl-impersonate in Node.js to avoid blocks
    Note: node-curl-impersonate is only compatible with Unix-based operating systems like Linux and macOS. If you are on Windows and cannot use the WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), consider using [ts-curl-impersonate](https://www.npmjs.com/package/ts-curl-impersonate) as an alternative as it comes with native Windows support. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Boost Your Productivity with Shell Aliases: A Simple Hack for Flutter Developers
    Another option is to use the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), which gives you a Linux-like terminal on Windows. With WSL, you can follow the same steps for creating aliases as you would on macOS or Linux by editing your .bashrc or .zshrc file. To set up WSL, check out the official Windows Subsystem for Linux documentation. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Linux Desktop Market Share Climbs to 4.45%
    A very cursory search would tell you about the Windows Subsystem for Linux: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/about. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Attempted to setup windows-linux dual boot on my PC and screwed it all up - please help
    Dual boot is ssooo previous decades. Let me introduce you to WSL, Windows Subsystem for Linux, now you can run Linux (including GUI) seamlessly from within windows. No dual boot, no sacrifice to security with legacy boot, no restarting to use apps and tools from the other OS, use windows and Linux truly side by side. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

fish shell mentions (134)

  • A short tutorial on using fish shell.
    Follow this to install. Note that this tutorial assume that you are on Linux. - Source: dev.to / 26 days ago
  • Tools for 2025
    I've probably been using fish shell [0] for close to 10 years now. When I need POSIX compliance or if I need to run a one-off bash command, I just call bash. It's exceedingly rare. Browsing through the documentation for Oils, it seems to be organized in a way that's very confusing. When you open the fish shell website it was two clear buttons for Tutorial and Documentation. [0] https://fishshell.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • TIL: Ghostty — a new and quite promising terminal emulator
    I remember that Julia Evans, whose blog I follow, mentioned a few time that she uses Fish. Also, some days ago I came across this post about Fish rewrite to Rust from C++, which sounds like a cool thing to do. However, I tried it some time ago, and while pretty neat, I wasn't convinced to switch to it completely. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Easy development environments with Nix and Nix flakes!
    The default shell in the above flake adds Valkey, NodeJS 22, the PNPM package manager, and the fish shell to the environment. It also starts Valkey in the background through a shell hook, passing it a custom config (declared via Nix!) and runs fish so we're dropped in the fish shell instead of our login shell. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • A new shell for using modern Unix commands
    I’m testing a new shell called fish, and I’m enjoying some features that truly make it a friendly interactive shell. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and fish shell, you can also consider the following products

SSH of Windows' Linux subsystem - Installation instructions for the Windows Subsystem for Linux on Windows 10.

zsh - The Z shell (Zsh) is a Unix shell that can be used as an interactive login shell and as a powerful command interpreter for shell scripting.

XAMPP - XAMPP is a free and open-source cross-platform web server that is primarily used when locally developing web applications.

GNU Bourne Again SHell - Bash is the shell, or command language interpreter, that will appear in the GNU operating system.

Laragon - All in one web server.

Starship (Shell Prompt) - Starship is the minimal, blazing fast, and extremely customizable prompt for any shell! Shows the information you need, while staying sleek and minimal. Quick installation available for Bash, Fish, ZSH, Ion, and Powershell.

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