Looking for a terminal package with compatibility with WSL2 from a windows host...

[Nine-H]

I could get WSL2 shells in Atom and I can get them in VSCode, has anyone found a solution for getting WSL2 shells in pulsar? I've tried x-terminal-reloaded but it fails to install on my windows box. Ideally the solution would not require installing additional development packages into the windows environment.

Cheers.

[confused-Techie]

@Nine-H As far as I know x-terminal-reloaded is the only terminal package working on the newer version of Electron that Pulsar is on.

But it borrows much of the same code from the most popular terminal packages originally published to Atom, so likely has the same feature set.

Why does it fail to install? I think sorting that out is your most likely way to find a solution

[Nine-H]

@confused-Techie Thanks for getting back to me. I just updated pulsar (v1.114.0) to test it out again, and I still couldn't install x-terminal-reloaded. I got the following error in the gui:

It appears to be trying to execute code in a host python interpreter and call host npm neither of which I have in windows. I do have a developer environment, it's all in wsl2. I'm not sure why pulsar and/or x-terminal-reloaded are calling software in the host environment: I think that might be bad practice. Checking the bugtracker I think my issues are related to Spiker985/x-terminal-reloaded#101 but in their case they're on mac OS, system python is working, and they're only having problems with host npm. I've pasted my (lightly redacted) error log for reference:

> [email protected] install C:\Users\REDACT~1\AppData\Local\Temp\apm-install-dir-2024126-32132-1hkwvl1.890k\node_modules\x-terminal-reloaded\node_modules\node-pty-prebuilt-multiarch
> prebuild-install || node scripts/install.js


C:\Users\REDACT~1\AppData\Local\Temp\apm-install-dir-2024126-32132-1hkwvl1.890k\node_modules\x-terminal-reloaded\node_modules\node-pty-prebuilt-multiarch>if not defined npm_config_node_gyp (node "C:\Program Files\Pulsar\resources\app\ppm\node_modules\npm\node_modules\npm-lifecycle\node-gyp-bin\\..\..\node_modules\node-gyp\bin\node-gyp.js" rebuild )  else (node "C:\Program Files\Pulsar\resources\app\ppm\node_modules\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\bin\node-gyp.js" rebuild ) 
undefined

prebuild-install WARN install No prebuilt binaries found (target=12.2.3 runtime=electron arch=x64 libc= platform=win32)
gyp ERR! find Python 
gyp ERR! find Python Python is not set from command line or npm configuration
gyp ERR! find Python Python is not set from environment variable PYTHON
gyp ERR! find Python checking if the py launcher can be used to find Python 3
gyp ERR! find Python - "py.exe" is not in PATH or produced an error
gyp ERR! find Python checking if "python3" can be used
gyp ERR! find Python - "python3" is not in PATH or produced an error
gyp ERR! find Python checking if "python" can be used
gyp ERR! find Python - "python" is not in PATH or produced an error
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python311\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python311\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Program Files\Python311\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Program Files\Python311\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python311-32\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python311-32\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Program Files\Python311-32\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Program Files\Python311-32\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Program Files (x86)\Python311-32\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Program Files (x86)\Python311-32\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python310\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python310\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Program Files\Python310\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Program Files\Python310\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python310-32\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python310-32\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Program Files\Python310-32\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Program Files\Python310-32\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Program Files (x86)\Python310-32\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Program Files (x86)\Python310-32\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python39\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python39\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Program Files\Python39\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Program Files\Python39\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python39-32\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python39-32\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Program Files\Python39-32\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Program Files\Python39-32\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Program Files (x86)\Python39-32\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Program Files (x86)\Python39-32\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python38\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python38\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Program Files\Python38\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Program Files\Python38\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python38-32\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Users\Redacted User\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python38-32\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Program Files\Python38-32\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Program Files\Python38-32\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python checking if Python is C:\Program Files (x86)\Python38-32\python.exe
gyp ERR! find Python - "C:\Program Files (x86)\Python38-32\python.exe" could not be run
gyp ERR! find Python 
gyp ERR! find Python **********************************************************
gyp ERR! find Python You need to install the latest version of Python.
gyp ERR! find Python Node-gyp should be able to find and use Python. If not,
gyp ERR! find Python you can try one of the following options:
gyp ERR! find Python - Use the switch --python="C:\Path\To\python.exe"
gyp ERR! find Python (accepted by both node-gyp and npm)
gyp ERR! find Python - Set the environment variable PYTHON
gyp ERR! find Python - Set the npm configuration variable python:
gyp ERR! find Python npm config set python "C:\Path\To\python.exe"
gyp ERR! find Python For more information consult the documentation at:
gyp ERR! find Python https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp#installation
gyp ERR! find Python **********************************************************
gyp ERR! find Python 
gyp ERR! configure error 
gyp ERR! stack Error: Could not find any Python installation to use
gyp ERR! stack at PythonFinder.fail (C:\Program Files\Pulsar\resources\app\ppm\node_modules\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\lib\find-python.js:336:47)
gyp ERR! stack at PythonFinder.runChecks (C:\Program Files\Pulsar\resources\app\ppm\node_modules\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\lib\find-python.js:164:21)
gyp ERR! stack at PythonFinder.<anonymous> (C:\Program Files\Pulsar\resources\app\ppm\node_modules\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\lib\find-python.js:253:16)
gyp ERR! stack at PythonFinder.execFileCallback (C:\Program Files\Pulsar\resources\app\ppm\node_modules\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\lib\find-python.js:299:16)
gyp ERR! stack at exithandler (node:child_process:333:5)
gyp ERR! stack at ChildProcess.errorhandler (node:child_process:345:5)
gyp ERR! stack at ChildProcess.emit (node:events:365:28)
gyp ERR! stack at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (node:internal/child_process:288:12)
gyp ERR! stack at onErrorNT (node:internal/child_process:480:16)
gyp ERR! stack at processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:83:21)
gyp ERR! System Windows_NT 10.0.22621
gyp ERR! command "C:\\Program Files\\Pulsar\\resources\\app\\ppm\\bin\\node.exe" "C:\\Program Files\\Pulsar\\resources\\app\\ppm\\node_modules\\npm\\node_modules\\node-gyp\\bin\\node-gyp.js" "rebuild"
gyp ERR! cwd C:\Users\REDACT~1\AppData\Local\Temp\apm-install-dir-2024126-32132-1hkwvl1.890k\node_modules\x-terminal-reloaded\node_modules\node-pty-prebuilt-multiarch
gyp ERR! node -v v16.0.0
gyp ERR! node-gyp -v v9.4.0
gyp ERR! not ok 
npm WARN notsup Unsupported engine for [email protected]: wanted: {"node":"^14.17.0 || ^16.13.0 || >=18.0.0"} (current: {"node":"16.0.0","npm":"6.14.19-pulsar1-1"})
npm WARN notsup Not compatible with your version of node/npm: [email protected]
npm WARN enoent ENOENT: no such file or directory, open 'C:\Users\REDACT~1\AppData\Local\Temp\apm-install-dir-2024126-32132-1hkwvl1.890k\package.json'
npm WARN apm-install-dir-2024126-32132-1hkwvl1.890k No description
npm WARN apm-install-dir-2024126-32132-1hkwvl1.890k No repository field.
npm WARN apm-install-dir-2024126-32132-1hkwvl1.890k No README data
npm WARN apm-install-dir-2024126-32132-1hkwvl1.890k No license field.

npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! errno 1
npm ERR! [email protected] install: `prebuild-install || node scripts/install.js`
npm ERR! Exit status 1
npm ERR! 
npm ERR! Failed at the [email protected] install script.
npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.

npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR!     C:\Users\Redacted User\.pulsar\.apm\_logs\2024-02-26T00_38_33_377Z-debug.log

[confused-Techie]

So in the case of this error, looking at the error message it's telling you about native modules.

Basically, some modules in NPM (and thus Pulsar) are built in C/C++ and need to be compiler for your platform. In order to compile the package we use node-gyp which itself then requires a build toolchain like Python a Visual Studio.

The only way to resolve this one would be to install the required dependencies so that it can build the native module for your environment.

But to be clear, this isn't a x-terminal-reloaded only issue, you'll see the same thing happen with several different packages, like Hydrogen.

In this case, there's no concern about missing NPM as that's included in Pulsar itself (technically in PPM). As for it searching in the host environment, to my understanding node-gyp if on Windows will check the system path for the programs installed or fallback to checking direct known install locations. Unfortunately I'm not aware of how to force it to use the WSL2 environment, but I do know that node-gyp supports setting the environment variable npm_config_python to the location of a python executable, maybe there's someway you could try that?

[Nine-H]

Cheers. I'm not sure how windows terminal and vscode are getting my wsl2 environment. I think there's a binary under system32, but it loads some default minimal shell. The code might have made it into vscodium. Not sure when I'll have a chance to take a look. Is there a reason why ppm is doing source distribution instead of binary distribution? I never needed a c++ toolchain for apm.

[confused-Techie]

@Nine-H To be clear, PPM is APM, with a rename and maybe a dozen commits extra on top.
The internals of how it functions, like source distribution is exactly the same as APM.

The only reason you may now be seeing this for the first time ever, is that package authors can provide prebuilt binaries for every single platform, and with Atom and APM being stuck on the same version of NodeJS and Electron for as long as they were it was easy for authors to build a binary for every platform, since they could assume that same platform version would be around for a super long time.

But now that Pulsar has began to update the versions of Node and Electron, those prebuilt binaries do not work, and they now need to be built on installation.

Authors can still include prebuilt binaries, that's there prerogative, but in this case it seems we need to build the binaries ourselves during install.

So this isn't because we changed things from "binary" to "source" distribution, they've always been "source" distribution, it's a side effect of us trying to move Pulsar to an Electron/Node version that isn't many years out of date

[Nine-H]

That makes sense: I guess binary packages will come back as the project stabilizes. thanks for the explanation.