Parallel toolchain universes: three-step Linux vs Visual Studio's descent into madness

Description

White background meme with plain black monospace text. Top block reads: "linux toolchain" followed by a numbered list: "1. install packages", "2. compile", "3. run". After a blank line, second block reads: "windows toolchain" with list items: "1. install visual studio 2022" and "2. WELCOME TO HELL, BITCH." - the last line is fully capital-lettered for comedic aggression. Visually minimal yet highlights stark contrast: Linux development perceived as straightforward CLI package install, compile, execute; Windows workflow caricatured as enormous IDE install leading to complexity, bloat, and configuration purgatory. Resonates with senior engineers who have wrestled with MSBuild configurations, SDK workload sprawl, and 30-GB installers versus a simple `apt-get build-essential && make` flow

Common Tags

DeveloperHumor DeveloperPainPoints VisualStudioIDE DeveloperFrustration IDEsAndTextEditors Windows Linux

Comments

Anonymous ★ Top Pick Linux: `sudo apt install build-essential && make`; Windows: “First, reserve a weekend for the Visual Studio installer to finish, then debug why MSBuild thinks x64 is an exotic architecture.”

Anonymous ★ Top Pick

Linux: `sudo apt install build-essential && make`; Windows: “First, reserve a weekend for the Visual Studio installer to finish, then debug why MSBuild thinks x64 is an exotic architecture.”
Anonymous

After 20 years in the industry, I've learned that Visual Studio's installer size is inversely proportional to your will to live, while its dependency graph complexity rivals the observable universe's entropy - and somehow, you'll still need to manually configure environment variables like it's 1995
Anonymous

The real difference isn't the three steps versus two - it's that Linux's step 1 takes 30 seconds with apt/yum/pacman, while Windows' step 1 involves downloading 8GB of Visual Studio, wrestling with Windows SDK versions, configuring MSBuild paths, debugging why vcpkg won't find your libraries, and questioning every life choice that led you to need native Windows compilation. By the time you reach step 2, you've already experienced the five stages of grief and discovered three new ways CMake can fail on Windows
Anonymous

Windows: where cl.exe is easy to install and impossible to find; LNK2019 is just MSBuild’s love language
Anonymous

Linux: O(1) setup time. Windows VS installer: Amortized over your career in reboots
Anonymous

Cross‑platform standup: "Support Windows?" Sure - after a 3GB installer, finding cl.exe in the Developer Prompt, picking the right v143 toolset/SDK, and scheduling an LNK2019 exorcism
@sylfn 1y

windows toolchain: ziglang.org
@RiedleroD 1y

2022 is a bit modern, I remember having to install 2016 and 2010, even for modern software and god forbid I install a slightly wrong version
dev_meme 1y

windows toolchain: winget install LLVM.LLVM # compile # run
1. @deadgnom32 1y
  
  LLVM.LLVM 🌚 why not org.LLVM.LLVM.package.distribution?
dev_meme 1y

better windows toolchain: wsl 1. install packages 2. compile 3. run 😁
1. @Valithor 1y
  
  Except it doesn't support POSIX so if you need signals for anything you're fucked
  
  dev_meme 1y
  
  Source?
  
  @Valithor 1y
  
  Windows/Unix documentation
  
  dev_meme 1y
  
  And how does this relate to the WSL2? 🤨
  
  @Valithor 1y
  
  I'm a ReactPHP dev. It doesn't support the proper POSIX.2 signals under either WSL1, WSL2, or Windows directly so basic functionality doesn't work. Things like child processes and sigterm are completely unavailable.
  
  dev_meme 1y
  
  Can't you just install the PHP inside WSL completely? Or use Docker for PHP (in WSL or not)? I'm not a PHP dev so can't relate, but want to investigate 😁
  
  dev_meme 1y
  
  Gotcha. Signals and related APIs for your tasks exist inside WSL2 only, but if you run PHP directly on Windows it lacks support for POSIX features and interaction between Windows and WSL, which introduces inconsistencies (?). So, it's possible for you to use PHP directly in WSL2, but it doesn't address your concern because the problem is all about the POSIX-compliant process handling... You may be technically correct here
  
  dev_meme 1y
  
  Something's off... That should literally not be true. If you work entirely inside the WSL2 environment, your ReactPHP applications should function without any issues because the WSL2 kernel is fully POSIX-compliant, shouldn't they? However, if you're trying to interact between Windows (which lacks POSIX compliance) and WSL2, then of course you would run into problems. Am I wrong here? Could you elaborate?
  
  @Valithor 1y
  
  There many showstopping issues, you should start looking into the compatibility issue for https://github.com/reactphp/child-process and it'll quickly open the door to the others
  
  dev_meme 1y
  
  🤔
  
  @Valithor 1y
  
  The notes are incorrect. Clue states in the issues that he does not develop on Windows
  
  dev_meme 1y
  
  I’m not a PHP dev, so I can’t verify the points you’re making. Therefore, I’ll trust your expertise. Let’s leave it at that. Thank you for the information!
  
  dev_meme 1y
  
  WSL2 literally runs a real Linux kernel inside a lightweight VM
@Art3m_1502 1y

In vscode they even added "code" at the end to indicate that the IDE is now actually suitable for development
1. @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 1y
  
  Its not tho 😭💀 vscode is absolute shit and only suitable for web dev stuff
  
  @x4erem6a 1y
  
  What's wrong with vscode?
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 1y
  
  Everything
  
  @TheFloofyFloof 1y
  
  At least it's not vim
@Tnam0rken 1y

You forgot about NET. Framework vX.Y🙃
1. @RiedleroD 1y
  
  god I hate .NET
  
  @imfreetodowhatever 1y
  
  .Net is heluva drug🤓 C - shoot urself in the foot C++ - blow your head off C# - murder your entire company with interop Also: C union [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Explicit, Size = 8] public struct AUnion { [FieldOffset(0)] public int x; [FieldOffset(0)] public double y; } Not even the latest VS will hint to this struct's consumer what is up
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 1y
  
  This is because you have to exchange parameters between managed and unmanaged code. There are conventions in compilers how this is done. .NET is managed and uses it own conventions (MSIL) like many other managed languages. There are many advantages to why. In order to be able to do fancy things and call CLI functions you can use attributes in code to hint the .NET Interop class how it should align managed type's values to be passed to the cli function.
  
  @imfreetodowhatever 1y
  
  Umm...ikr? (If i did not know that then i wouldn't be able to write that struct that is packed like a C union)
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 1y
  
  Then I dont get this reference? Whats missing?
@hy60koshk 1y

Well, if VS and NET is hell for the author... what a nightmare should be java for him then?
1. @Art3m_1502 1y
  
  Java has Intelij IDEA
  
  @hy60koshk 1y
  
  yep, so I can wait 2 sec lag after each key input, thanks.
  
  Mario 1y
  
  Buy a better cpu
  
  @RiedleroD 1y
  
  yeees, partake in consumerism
  
  Mario 1y
  
  The only way not to is to buy a risc-v cpu
  
  @RiedleroD 1y
  
  wha? that's still consumerism
  
  @RiedleroD 1y
  
  I mean, less of it is going to some rich assholes, but still
  
  Mario 1y
  
  That's open source at least. What's your solution, NOT having literally anything?
  
  @RiedleroD 1y
  
  yep. go to the woods. pick up a frog. a great time for everyone!
  
  @qtsmolcat 1y
  
  Never had that problem, even in a 6th Gen U series intel
  
  @TheRamenDutchman 1y
  
  And NET has Rider And Python has PyCharm And Rust has RustRover And...
2. @RiedleroD 1y
  
  java is a hell I don't want to be trapped in ever again and I'm saying that as my current main job is writing object-oriented php
  
  @hy60koshk 1y
  
  my condolences
@deadgnom32 1y

still meaningless repetitions. is there another LLVM package?
1. @kvassilisk 1y
  
  Clangd
  
  @deadgnom32 1y
  
  are there two clangd packeges?
  
  @kvassilisk 1y
  
  I think on Winget clangd is llvm.clangd and all the other stuff is llvm.llvm
@deadgnom32 1y

and they have no name collisions on any other system, but have to be placed inside of a namespace for some reason.
dev_meme 1y

LLVM can be installed with winget with just winget install llvm, he's true. it's my own thing to use the full package ID when installing something with winget. that's all
@ognotme 1y

\
@Valithor 1y

You do not understand what POSIX is if that's your argument, please Google first
1. dev_meme 1y
  
  Bruh
@Valithor 1y

WSL2 is a VM running a Linux kernel, not POSIX compatibility for Windows
1. dev_meme 1y
  
  Ofc it's not. So what?
@Araalith 1y

Linux toolchain 1. Install packages (3 days later....) 2. compile..
1. @sylfn 1y
  
  dial-up or gentoo? why so long...
  
  @Araalith 1y
  
  If we are talking about Gentoo - forget what I said about 3 days. It can take much more...
  
  @andrei_nik_kolesnikov 1y
  
  just put a nix on top of it :)
  
  @andrei_nik_kolesnikov 1y
  
  also, binary cache exists now, if you don't want to tweak your USE flags
@perunvolk 1y

This is why I code in assembly
1. @sylfn 1y
  
  which one
2. @purplesyringa 1y
  
  I still have no idea how to compile assembly on Windows
  
  @purplesyringa 1y
  
  Do I just use nasm?
  
  @sylfn 1y
  
  step 1. open browser step 2. google "how do i replace windows with linux"
  
  @purplesyringa 1y
  
  that usually requires admin privileges 😬
  
  @sylfn 1y
  
  you dont need admin privileges if you can just switch the drive
  
  @purplesyringa 1y
  
  okay, I still need physical access
  
  @purplesyringa 1y
  
  that doesn't tend to work well when writing malware 🙂
  
  @sylfn 1y
  
  well then use https://lekkit.github.io/test/index.html
  
  @purplesyringa 1y
  
  the fuck is this
  
  @purplesyringa 1y
  
  jesus...
  
  @purplesyringa 1y
  
  is that wasm?
  
  @purplesyringa 1y
  
  wow
  
  @sylfn 1y
  
  RVVM on WASM demo
  
  @RiedleroD 1y
  
  nahh why do they remap the keyboard layout 💀
  
  @sylfn 1y
  
  direct input
@perunvolk 1y

Requires only a notepad (optional) and working computer
@TheRamenDutchman 1y

Also, Windows toolchain: 1. Google the installer 2. Click the right link, avoid clicking on links that pose as your tool but are malware 3. Run the installer, be hand-held tough a long, tedious process. 4. While going through, make sure to (un)-check any boxes that would lead it to install malware along your tool 5. Restart your computer. Don't ask, just do it. Windows might need to update for 20 mins too 6. Your tool is most likely installed, you may need to open a terminal to add it to PATH
1. @leandrofriedrich 1y
  
  what does any of this mean
2. @purplesyringa 1y
  
  I wouldn't expect that to be a thing on developer-oriented software
  
  @purplesyringa 1y
  
  Are you speaking from experience or parroting a meme?
  
  @leandrofriedrich 1y
  
  Probably
@TheRamenDutchman 1y

Man, Linux is easier to install software on
@ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 1y

HAHHAHAHAHAHAHA
@MrZarei 1y

VS is definitely the best
Mario 1y

And consumerism isn't bad

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Parallel toolchain universes: three-step Linux vs Visual Studio's descent into madness

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