There are several ways to use a Linux terminal on Windows, each one having its own pros and cons.
Dual booting
A dual booting is the installation of two operating systems on the same machine. Therefore, we can use each system at its full potential. However, we need to divide the space between the two systems and we restart the computer each time that we want to switch from Windows to Linux or vice versa.
Virtual machine (VM)
A virtual machine is a software that provides a command-line interface. It has its own environment, which is a good thing for security but a bad thing for speed (because resources are shared between Windows and the virtual machine). It can be a good alternative if you want to learn bioinformatics without installing a complete Linux distribution.
Linux booting from a USB stick
If you prefer to have a portable version of Linux, you can boot it from a USB drive. Then, you will be able to use this Linux version when you start the computer with the USB drive connected. The disadvantage of this method is that you can’t save your session.
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
The Windows subsystem for Linux is a way to run Linux on a Windows machine. In this case, Windows and Linux share the same files and applications, it is possible to use both at the same time.
Connect to High-Performance Computers (HPC)
If you are part of an institution that possess high-performance computers, you can make a remote connection to them using a software such as MobaXterm. If you are interested in this method, please have a look at my article entitled How to connect to an HPC on Windows.
Start a local terminal with MobaXterm
Moreover, we can also directly start a local terminal on MobaXterm (and probably on similar softwares). After having launched it, we only need to click on the “Start a local terminal” button:
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are several ways to use a Linux terminal on Windows. What method do you prefer?
