Not working with WSLg plus Ubuntu on Windows Community Preview

[UGatgithub]

Nice tool, tested and works with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS but not once you install and run WSLg in combination with the actual Ubuntu on Windows Community Preview.

I expect for that it’s now needed that you implement what was stated here:

What will happen when WSL2 gets official Wayland support? I am just as excited about this as you are. Till it is available, GWSL will only function as an XServer. When Wayland is available, there will be an option to swicth between Wayland and X as a GWSL backend. The shortcut creator and app launcher will continue to work in the new Wayland mode.

Beside the Ubuntu Preview I installed Debian and Ubuntu 20.04 under WSL2 and all 3 distros are discovered by your tool and work when I start already working GUI Apps via Windows Start menu (new option in the preview). In your Linux Apps Menu they show up but don’t open when clicking them.

[Pololot64]

(Got it and will respond but afk for a while)

[Pololot64]

First of all, I wrote the explanation in the website long before we knew what WSLg would be like. Now that is is almost out I am still deciding how to integrate them if it is still necessary

I do not know what is causing the conflict between both servers but I assume that there are multiple issues combined together. I cannot test for certain because I am unable to get the insider preview.

Is GWSL exporting the display for itself or did you remove the export code from .profile etc?

Also, it may make a difference if you try using the GWSL 1.3.8 beta. Sorry for my "all over the place" answer. I simply do not much information to work with and respond to :(

[UGatgithub]

I did not change any setup just installed and it worked fine with wsl2 but not with wsl2+wslg. I am awk now so I can‘t check the version, but maybe it helps that I downloaded from Microsoft Store.

[Pololot64]

It shouldn't matter whether it is the store version or not but feel free to post when available if you want to follow up with the issue. :)

Also, if you want you can sign up for the Store 1.3.8 beta which fixes many issues here: https://forms.office.com/r/CwwSkC9Arp

[Andrew-J-Larson]

I would imagine that WSLg is likely setting its own display:

We preconfigure the user distro environment variables DISPLAY, WAYLAND_DISPLAY and PULSE_SERVER to refer these servers by default so WSLg lights up out of the box.

From https://github.com/microsoft/wslg#wslg-system-distro

[Pololot64]

You'd think the a .profile environment variable would override but idk.

[Andrew-J-Larson]

You'd think the a .profile environment variable would override but idk.

I mean, I know using a .bashrc or any .[SHELL]rc file equivalent usually sets display for me, but I mean does .profile do that too?

[Andrew-J-Larson]

If what I'm reading is correct though, the directory %userprofile%\.wslconfig (e.g. C:\Users\Pololot64\.wslconfig) is likely what is overriding any distro set environment variables.

[Pololot64]

Hmm. The app launcher and shortcut creator set the variable per app so it should override there. Putting it in .profile should override as soon as you start a bash session

[Andrew-J-Larson]

Hmm. The app launcher and shortcut creator set the variable per app so it should override there. Putting it in .profile should override as soon as you start a bash session

Well at least the source code is there, so maybe they are doing something funky as soon as a GUI application is detected and started.

[Pololot64]

Hmm. Well I am closing this for now because it is not even out yet. Much can change

[Andrew-J-Larson]

I also found constexpr auto c_wslgconfigFile = "/mnt/c/ProgramData/Microsoft/WSL/.wslgconfig";, on line 27 in https://github.com/microsoft/wslg/blob/main/WSLGd/main.cpp

[Pololot64]

🤷‍♀️

[Andrew-J-Larson]

I think I know where part of the culprit is though, towards the end of https://github.com/microsoft/wslg/blob/main/WSLGd/main.cpp there are some monitors with LaunchProcess, so I assume it's likely around there where the weirdness with DISPLAY being overridden is likely happening.

[Pololot64]

I looked but I don't think it is related. It seems to handle the rdp connection on the windows side but tbh I do not read cpp very well. Also Idk if it is really a "bug" and if it even needs fixing. I was planning compatability with it but that was before anyone knew what it was

[Andrew-J-Larson]

Or I might just be stupid, and it's just https://github.com/microsoft/wslg/blob/main/WSLGd/main.cpp#L187

where it initializes the following:

        {"HOME", passwordEntry->pw_dir},
        {"USER", passwordEntry->pw_name},
        {"LOGNAME", passwordEntry->pw_name},
        {"SHELL", passwordEntry->pw_shell},
        {"PATH", "/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games"},
        {"XDG_RUNTIME_DIR", c_xdgRuntimeDir},
        {"WAYLAND_DISPLAY", "wayland-0"},
        {"DISPLAY", ":0"},
        {"XCURSOR_PATH", "/usr/share/icons"},
        {"XCURSOR_THEME", "whiteglass"},
        {"XCURSOR_SIZE", "16"},
        {"PULSE_AUDIO_RDP_SINK", SHARE_PATH "/PulseAudioRDPSink"},
        {"PULSE_AUDIO_RDP_SOURCE", SHARE_PATH "/PulseAudioRDPSource"},
        {"USE_VSOCK", socketFdString.c_str()},
        {"WSL2_DEFAULT_APP_ICON", "/usr/share/icons/wsl/linux.png"},
        {"WSL2_DEFAULT_APP_OVERLAY_ICON", "/usr/share/icons/wsl/linux.png"},
        {"WESTON_DISABLE_ABSTRACT_FD", "1"}

[Andrew-J-Larson]

I looked but I don't think it is related. It seems to handle the rdp connection on the windows side but tbh I do not read cpp very well. Also Idk if it is really a "bug" and if it even needs fixing. I was planning compatability with it but that was before anyone knew what it was

Yeah, well, at least for doing the switching, you know about the .wslconfig now. So that should help in doing the GUI switching.

[Pololot64]

maybe

[Pololot64]

afk for now though