An additional change that Microsoft is planning is that it is switching the default terminal app in Windows 11 to Windows Terminal. This modification will be rolled out in 2022 via the Windows Insider Program first before being made available generally. Microsoft hasn’t defined a firm timeline as of yet, but it’s clear that we can expect this to happen sometime next year.
That would mean the end of the regular cmd.exe, which is currently the default command line in Windows. Of course, the new Windows Terminal application includes cmd.exe as an option as well, so it’s obviously not like it’s going away.
> Of course, the new Windows Terminal application includes cmd.exe as an option as well.
Not sure what you mean.
CMD will still exist as a shell, it’ll just run inside the Windows Terminal interface.
cmd.exe currently starts both the dos-style shell interface, and the console host window interface that you use it in.
In the old days, people basically had to screen scrape a hidden console window to implement a third party windows shell container window, but (apparently specifically to make Windows Terminal work) MS split the console system into two so the shell could be properly plugged into any window (and prior to that they’d heavily reengineered the console host to support more modern special encodings too, mostly for their WSL and SSH work it seems)
cmd.exe will still exist as the shell, and I imagine you’ll still be able to do something to launch it as a classic window (I would imagine it would remain the default on Server Core installs and the rescue environment too) it’s just that the default host for the console will be the UWP Terminal app (which is pretty I guess, but I’d hate to rely on it in a crunch, and seems to chew a lot more resources too)
you can start cmd from windows terminal, just as you can start powershell from cmd.
I have completely stopped caring what Microsoft do. I have even less interest in the Microsoft lackey wannabe program.
Then why comment? Let the people interested in discussing it, discuss it
You’re missing what I have mentioned before and others have mentioned in their own way the point about an arrogant transational corporation generating free marketing for farting.as for the Microsoft “Insider”program they are taking the piss. They’re not edgy tech savvy on the up types. They’re weak minded serfs.
So next time pay attention before you barge in cold.
Edgelord alert!
You seem really angry about something you don’t care about.
lol, I didn’t barge in cold, I made a comment in response to yours. I have read what you’ve mentioned before and you don’t add anything to the discussion, you’re just ranting.
Not at all. I’ve read plenty of similar comments on the Register and Slashdot. I can also point to well regarded mainstream media columns on exactly the points I’ve raised. Some of you have a snide and insulting male ego thing going. You knew. You could have been more circumspect and reasonable but no you had to throw a punch because you have problems controlling your emotional reactivity and are trying to build a “rep” as one of the lads. That’s on you.
I add enough value. If you don’t read books so are too ignorant to get it that’s on you too.
You got it a bit wrong. Windows Terminal is not a replacement for cmd.exe (or any other shell) but for the program that hosts those shells. In case of windows this is conhost.exe.
It’s a bit more involved with that if you read the article. It’s swapping one default shell for another default shell. The second layer to this is the default shell calls a default command processor. (From a user perspective this is cmd.exe.) As part of this second layer the forced default is being loosened to host and allow different default command processors. How you view this depends on where your starting point is coming from. That’s basic class and set theory.
Getting things wrong at the class and set theory level can alter the form of understanding and generate conceptual conflicts. This is actually why in some public policy areas it has to be pointed out in statutory guidelines that outcome is the primary consideration. The reason is “authorities” and “processes” with the wrong approach can frame and filter primary data incorrectly and the “outcome” can be used as a sanity check. Another way of looking at things is to consider the desired result and work backwards from there. People who tend to be full of themselves or jobsworths often use the “authority” of a job title to force a decision and hide their lack of performance behind policy. There’s been more than one court case in the UK where the “all boxes ticked all, policies followed” defence was used to dodge the inadequate outcome.
As for Microsoft I don’t care what they get up to now. Trust has been broken especially with all this telemetry stuff and obsoleting of hardware with Windows 11 under a layer of excuses and distraction. The first thought in my mind when I read about this Terminal thing was “What’s their dodge?” Free marketing and covering up arbitrary corporate decision making? I don’t think I’m far wrong and if you join the dots between Windows now hosting Linux and Android, and Microsoft’s shenanigans with cloud hosting technology they very carefully keep to themselves rather than baking into the platform or open specifications you know this isn’t just an accident but a strategy. There’s something else going on in some respects even worse than when they got nobbled with an anti-trust case. The obvious wrongs have been polished off. They’re just more subtle and underhand now and they can afford to be given they are a state backed monopoly.
I think you pretty much nailed it already in your other comment above with the “free marketing for farting” comment. Beyond that I don’t think this particular move has any especially devious motive, other than trying to keep Windows competitive with Linux and macOS for developers.
@Moochan
I can understand why people might say that. My point of view is from the perspective of large organisations and careerists especially as well as politicians who can be very sneaky. A policy shift here or technical change there and normalisation of various behaviours can creep up on you. On general topics I’ve seen enough complacency and drift towards a bad end point to feel very suspicious when I detect a whiff of it.
There is a real absence of examining Microsoft’s monopoly status and throwing users under the bus and I think this blanket media coverage of tittle tattle is a distraction from that because it’s easy.
In fact I feel this including of Linux and Android on the Windows platform is because Microsoft cannot compete. It’s not actually competition. They’re not offering a better product just extending their monopoly.
Microsoft is replacing some outdated crap software with a mediocre alternative that can already be installed easily for quite a while. For whatever reason, it’s all over the news.
The IIoT work I do is mostly Visual Code and Powershell based, I’ve been using Windows Terminal since the early days and it’s a big step up over CMD or Powershell. I was first alerted to it by The Scripting Guy and he was on the money, and it integrates WSL nicely!
It reads to me like people are commenting on or complaining about something they have never used, the whole solution is scriptable, and even through the GUI you can set whatever default profile you like it to enter on launch, the new cross platform Powershell, Windows Powershell, CMD, WSL, Azure, etc., etc..!
Can I just say how much I hate that there is still a “Windows Powershell” vs “the cross platform powershell” there should be one powershell, with an option to turn on legacy mode or something. Having both programs exist as separate entities is confusing for users and annoying.