Windows, Windows Subsystem Linux (WSL), VirtualBox Ubuntu, Native Ubuntu#

I'm thinking about which solution is better for research and development.

Windows v.s Ubuntu#

After Native Ubuntu (running Ubuntu on a native machine), I've been using Windows for years. The reason I switched from Native Ubuntu to Windows was I wanted to use the Microsoft Office suite and WeChat (and DingTalk). Therefore, I would use the WSL for development. Microsoft office suite and WeChat for Windows are convenient, but WSL is not. As I am working on hypervisors and kernels, WSL cannot always provide all features for them. For example, I cannot even start a VirtualBox virtual machine in WSL (as WSL doesn't support loading extra kernel modules). Moreover, Windows itself has a lot of extra and implicit workload consuming my CPU time and I/O time, which sometimes makes me crazy.

A list of WSL issues

In WSL, I need to handle "RWX" for any files copied from the host
In WSL, I need to handle "CRLF" for any files copied from the host
In WSL, it's slow to list files on the host
In WSL, I cannot access the port I set to connect to a VirtualBox virtual machine

Microsoft office suite can be replaced by Google office suite. However, stupid Chinese IM apps, WeChat and DingTalk are not easily replaced. Wine is one of the solutions to support them. However, the notification is kind of floppy.

All in all, I want to switch back to Ubuntu (or other distributions) due to my requirement for hardware. I'm going to use Google office suite to take notes. For these IM apps, I will use them on my cellphone with auto-start (in the background) and strong notification enabled. When using my cellphone, I try to reply as short as possible. In practice, I am slow in replying but this seems good. IMO, IM apps are disasters for maintaining our focus on research and development.

VirtualBox and Native Ubuntu#

I prefer a Native Ubuntu for the host. A virtual machine is good for any experimental task.