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Comment by sexy_panda | Hacker News Reader

These titles are so confusing.

I thought it could run windows applications on Android.

I think it was called "Windows Subsystem for Linux" because they were originally emulating Linux syscalls (and some other kernel features) with Windows calls in WSL1. Now that WSL2 is all hypervisor-based with VMs, the name doesn't mean anything. But it has some momentum and name recognition, so they stick to it both for WSL, and now WSA.

It's one single quote away from being unambiguous.

    Windows' Subsystem for <whatever>

That doesn't explain the order

What order? Do you mean why wasn't it called "Linux Subsystem for Windows" ? I can see that argument.

Even better: "Linux Subsystem in Windows".

Subsystem is specific terminology in the Windows ecosystem.

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5792498/what-exactly-is-...

Is it clear? No. Is it grammatically fine? Yes. It references the Windows kernel as the core piece here, not the subsystem

Source: I work on Windows.

If we rewrite based on the SO answer it could also have been named "Windows Emulation Layer for <whatever>".

> Windows starting from NT (NT 3.1) is able to support semantics of different operating systems (or OS families) that existed at that time (1993). Microsoft called them Subsystems (today they would probably call them emulation layers).

they aren't really emulators, though. and even if they are, calling them emulators hides too much of what they really are.

it's an NT kernel subsystem which runs Android applications.

the NT kernel was always designed to support multiple simultaneous subsystems, so they are named "Windows Subsystem for [whatever]" because they are individual windows kernel subsystems for [whatever].

anyway, just accept the naming. the naming is set and won't change. your time is better spent on more meaningful stuff anyway.

I suspect this is due to trademark laws. I've often seen policies that say "you can write 'yourthing for Trademarked Thing' but not 'Trademarked Thing yourthing'", e.g. when it comes to inofficial clients for a platform.

I think they simply applied the same principle here.

I hadn't thought about that, but it seems likely. I remember when Reddit decided to enforce their IP rights more and forced all applications with Reddit in their to change to something that either didn't use the name Reddit at all or only used it at the end in the form "for Reddit"

Yep, you can read [Google's brand guidelines for Android here.](https://developer.android.com/distribute/marketing-tools/bra...)

>"Android", or anything confusingly similar to "Android", cannot be used in names of applications or accessory products, including phones, tablets, TVs, speakers, headphones, watches, and other devices. Instead, use "for Android".

Welcome to Hacker News, Mishaal! Glad you made it eventually. :-)

I'm anywhere Android is being talked about :)

I guess they think of it as "[a] windows subsystem for [running] android". Or put in a different way "android running on a windows subsystem".

I think they're just following the naming scheme from WSL

A new name following a confusing scheme is still confusing

I know WSL, but I was still confused. Maybe I'm just tired.

This confusing naming goes back over 20 years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Services_for_UNIX

it's not confusing, though.

I need a new Windows subsystem.

Which Windows subsystem do you need?

I need the Windows Subsystem for Android.

I'm not away of any Android Subsystems that can run Windows (or Windows applications). But these are Windows subsystems, so that's OK.

shrug I personally don't find it confusing. If there was a way to run Win32 applications or Android, it could be Win32 on Android, or the Android Subsystem for Win32 Applications.

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