Adding Windows Support: Is WSL sufficient or do we need native support?

[byjlw]

We're reaching out because we're thinking about expanding ExecuTorch to support Windows.
Right now, it works on Linux and Mac, but we know a lot of you are on Windows, and we want to make sure we're meeting your needs.

Here's What We're Considering:

Option 1: WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux): This would let you run our framework in a Linux environment on Windows. It's a bit easier for us to set up since it aligns with our current Linux support.
Option 2: Native Windows Support: This means building the framework to run directly on Windows. It could be more seamless for Windows users but would take more time and effort on our end.

We want to make the right choice for you, our awesome community. So, we’d love to hear your thoughts:

• What OS do you usually work on?
• Have you used WSL before? If so, how was your experience?
• Which option would you prefer: WSL or native Windows support?
• Any specific needs or concerns you have about using our framework on Windows?
• Anything else you want to share?

Drop your thoughts in the comments below. Your feedback will really help us decide the best way forward.

[swolchok]

Vulkan isn't usable from WSL as far as I can tell.

[mergennachin]

@SS-JIA what's your experience like?

[SS-JIA]

I'm actually not too familiar with WSL - @swolchok why is it incompatible with Vulkan? Is it due to how system drivers (i.e. Vulkan drivers) would be handled under WSL?

[swolchok]

I'm actually not too familiar with WSL - @swolchok why is it incompatible with Vulkan? Is it due to how system drivers (i.e. Vulkan drivers) would be handled under WSL?

WSL is virtualized and would need specific support. Apparently there's some limited CUDA support, but if you have CUDA then you probably don't need Vulkan. Some references:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/vulkan/comments/pzxhgj/is_it_possible_to_use_vulkan_with_wsl2_eg_wslg/ (3 years ago)
• https://www.reddit.com/r/vulkan/comments/1b4ib83/is_there_any_way_around_using_vulkan_on_wsl2/ (11 months ago)
• apparently there may be a way to patch it through to d3d12, but I just found it and haven't tried Vulkan support in WSL2/WSLg microsoft/wslg#1254

I would be surprised if the last bullet point was good, but you never know. I can try it out at home whenever I have extra free time (likely not soon).

[mergennachin]

For completeness, here's ongoing issue for Windows Support: #4661

[GregoryComer]

This is probably already well known, but WSL is a developer solution, not a deployment solution. I use WSL quite regularly for development and it works very well, but it's not meant for end users. If we want to ship the runtime on Windows, we need native support. For the purpose of this discussion, are you interested in developing on Windows, deploying on Windows, or both?

[byjlw]

Deployment, in conversations with other folks, it's becoming clear that we need a Windows native solution because of this very thing.