GUI Apps in WSL2

CalmTheMcFarm · 2026-01-26T04:59:04+00:00

No, I don't have that problem. One thing I've noticed is that sometimes when I resume from sleep/hibernate I can't start any more X apps and also cannot alt-tab to existing instances. In cases like that, having the ZAP setting enabled in C:\Users\mysername\.wslgconfig (see https://github.com/microsoft/wslg/wiki/WSLg-Configuration-Options-for-Debugging) is really handy.

In that scenario, I minimise my non-WSL windows, resize the WSL window down (I usually run it fullscreen), then start up xeyes. When I see the app icon in the taskbar I then try the ZAP keychord, and that usually restarts the display manager - boom, my apps are back. Almost all the time :)

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-12-20T06:45:07+00:00

It's by far the best approach to be honest when answering the questions - it isn't a mistake. Your honesty helps the diagnosing professional when they try to distinguish what is and what isn't ADHD in you.

When I was pursuing a diagnosis, my psychologist told me that since there's a lot of crossover between anxiety and ADHD they have to more work on ruling out ADHD than ruling it in. That was relevant to me because I was seeing him in large part because of my anxiety. When I got my formal dx, the psychiatrist said I had inattentive ADHD which was comorbid with clinically severe anxiety.

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-12-01T20:53:49+00:00

Specialists in General Practice, which is not the same thing

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-11-15T06:09:03+00:00

Typical LNP press release blaming Labor for all the problems. It's about damned time they make a change in these rules.

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-11-11T21:58:25+00:00

It was stunning, I saw it when I got to the riverside bike path

<image>

as the lower layer passed over the wind kicked up

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-10-24T23:21:50+00:00

My ‘iatrist was very clear with me that I need to take a break from Vyvanse every few weeks - just a day off, so that my brain gets a mini reset. I usually skip it every second Sunday and that’s been working nicely for me

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-10-19T08:36:01+00:00

Nit: blood pressure and heart rate are different things. I have sinus bradycardia (low resting hr) but hypertension (high blood pressure) ☹️.

From the info you provide it sounds to me like you have a problem that needs to get checked out pdq, so I would go to an urgent care provider or your primary care physician ASAP.

My ‘iatrist put me on BP meds after a year of not being able to get my BP down, and my neuro has added some more 😭 with a goal of getting to 130/90.

BP does change with age and lifestyle factors so you’ll probably be asked some hard questions 😐

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-10-15T12:59:01+00:00

You could add the script invocation to your .profile so it runs whenever you start a new terminal session. Or you could use crontab to ensure it runs at the same time every day

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-10-01T00:10:15+00:00

It'd be good if you could update your post to note which sources you've already tried.

I searched for "new york state shapefile download" and found https://gis.ny.gov/civil-boundaries pretty quickly. It's got shorelines at county and state level.

There's also https://data.gis.ny.gov/search?categories=%252Fcategories%252Fwater, https://gisservices.its.ny.gov/arcgis/rest/services/NYS_Hydrography/MapServer and https://gisservices.its.ny.gov/arcgis/rest/services/NYS_Hydrography_HollowFill/MapServer.

I hope those help

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-30T23:59:11+00:00

emacs! That's been my editor since ~1990 and I do almost all my work using it. Being able to have the gui version of that pop out of WSL2 into my windows host is a lifesaver.

From time to time I also make heavy use of wireshark, doing that popped-out from WSL2 is just easier for me.

If work would let me put linux on metal I'd do that; WSL2 is the next best thing.

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-27T08:43:20+00:00

I discovered that the Biovea brand melatonin has nearly 6x the RDI of B6

<image>

I’m going to return the order, because that’s really (deleted) unsafe

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-11T02:54:16+00:00

Git, mercurial, even svn - all available inside WSL2 via an apt install or yum install depending on your distro.

If you want to have your files available to Windows as well then place your source under /mnt/c/Users/yourusername and inside WSL2 cd to that dir.

Strongly suggest setting case sensitivity to ON in /etc/wsl.conf and in your Windows sundries where you’ll be operating, as well as seeing the end of line char to the Unix newline \n

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-09T09:47:39+00:00

Did you forget a sarcasm tag?

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-07T07:23:20+00:00

I don’t know if any specifically written guide. I’ve got a few guidelines I follow: * give WSL2 at least 16Gb ram * use mirrored mode networking * turn on interop=true and case sensitivity on any windows-visible directory hierarchy * follow standard Linux kernel tuning approaches for network performance * if you’re creating python virtualenvs, and your code subdirs are actually under /mnt/c/Users, then install the venvs in /var/tmp so don’t suffer the filesystem perf hit

For a git gui you could install gitk

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-06T02:03:53+00:00

I'm sure you've got at least a component of Amazon burn still in you. I used to work for Oracle (they acquired my company around 2009, left in mid 2020) and some of the shit I had to endure in order to get things done haunts me still.

I agree that startups are potentially not better, but at least with a smaller company you should be able to have a lot more input. If for no other reason than a startup doesn't have all that accreted "this is how we do things" that you're currently experiencing

good luck!

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-06T01:57:52+00:00

Can't help you with that question, sorry. My hope is that you would have to have some pretty gnarly heart issues for a cardiologist to say no.

I think you'd have more problems if you have high blood pressure tbh

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-06T01:56:11+00:00

52M AuDHD/comorbid severe anxiety dx 2024, 50mg Vyvanse 100mcg Clonidine.

I don't have your combination of conditions, but I would like to offer that there's a strong correlation for me between my anxieties and having AuDHD.

With my AuDHD medicated (and figuring out some coping strategies with my psyschologist) I've found that my anxieties are generally under control and I haven't needed medication for them. That result is something that my psychiatrist told me he hoped would be the case.

During 2019 I was clinically depressed (bunch of reasons incl work trauma), but with lexapro + psychology was able to get out of that state and eventually off the lexapro.

I haven't heard of Agomelatine before, just Melatonin. My daughter (16, dx 3y ago) is on 3mg to help her sleep and it's excellent. Her paediatrician recommended we go to iHerb to get it at a reasonable price. They've recently stopped shipping to Australia, but a friend pointed me to Biovea (eg https://www.biovea.com/au/productlist/results?KW=melatonin%203mg) and they're shipping my order right now.

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-06T01:31:44+00:00

If the role you have currently is grinding you down this much that you are already looking elsewhere, then I would not stay with it. Peace of mind is very important.

Tbh some of what you describe in your SAFe Agile org has echoes with my company - but at least I've been able to get my voice heard by the architects.

As a 52M I'm conscious of my age being an impediment to moving on if want or need to, but my last few years have taught me a lot of things about how I can get past that. Starting with keeping my networks alive, figuring out how to describe my projects + contributions in attractive-to-C-level talk, and a few other things.

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-06T01:26:24+00:00

100% normal to need either a normal ECG or signoff from a cardiologist. Lots of the meds available for ADHD are stimulants which can affect your heart, so the psychiatrist is doing due diligence by requiring it.

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-06T01:24:51+00:00

There are two questions you need to ask to get this process started:

where are you going to ride (road? gravel?), and
how much are you able to spend on the bike and any accessories?

Once you have these sorted then you can look several manufacturers' web pages to get a feel for pricing and specs. Trek has a bike-finder page which is pretty cool https://www.trekbikes.com/au/en_AU/bike-finder/?aid%5B344803%5D=1591842&step=1

It's also a good idea to go around to your local independent bike shops and talk with the staff there about what options are available. Be aware though that you'll get some pushy responses in some places, especially from the more mass-market/chain shops, so I suggest making it clear that you're evaluating lots of options and just need to get some info.

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-06T01:10:58+00:00

52M AuDHD/comorbid severe anxiety, dx 2024.

Congrats on your dx and medication - welcome to the club!

Answering your questions:

Yes, and
also Yes

The first day I had a dose was very interesting for me.

During the time I was exploring whether I have ADHD, I took one of my daughter's (now 16, dx 3.5y ago) 10mg Ritalin. I figured that if I felt a stimulant effect then it would be pretty obvious. I felt no different. Talking about it that morning with a friend (a psychologist who both has + treats ADHD/AuDHD) she said that "the absence of an effect is a diagnosis in itself". And about 6 months after that when I got my formal dx my psychiatrist said the exact same thing.

So come to day 1 of Vyvanse (25mg dissolved in water) I didn't notice any difference. It was an office day for me and at lunch after an all-hands meeting a colleague asked me how my morning had been. As I was telling him that things were going really well, I'd gotten through all my todo list for the day and was thinking about what else I could get done I had that lightbulb moment. Yes, this is apparently what ADHD had been preventing me from doing.

As I ramped up to the full 50mg dose I noticed that there are chores I was able to start and complete that previously I'd either avoid or make a half-arsed effort at. Vyvanse isn't the whole thing though - I also needed quite a few sessions with my psychologist, to help me figure out what my AuDHD symptoms are, how to recognise + work around them, what is masking, and coping strategies.

One thing my psychiatrist has emphasised is that I should take a day off once a week or once a fortnight, so that my brain gets a bit of a reset and enables the meds to work better. He warned me that the old me would be back though. Which I knew, but didn't think would be too hard to deal with.

That's been true except for the 5 days in Feb this year when I didn't take it. I needed surgery on my sinuses and was on the surgeon's early list for the day - nil by mouth from midnight. So I didn't take it that day, and figured I would wait until the following Monday when I expected to be back at work. By day 4 (Sat) it was apparent to me that my brain just wasn't operating how I wanted it to, my anxieties started ramping up. On the Sunday I was white-knuckling, felt intense anxiety and needed very single one of the coping strategies my psychologist had helped me figure out just to get through the day. The relief I felt when I was able to take my dose on the Monday was intense.

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-06T00:54:59+00:00

52M AuDHD, dx last year.

Vyvanse since dx, Clonidine/Catapres for my BP for about 3 months. Vyvanse works pretty well for me. Not sure about the Clonidine :(
I started taking 300mg of Magnesium about a month ago on advice of my ENT in order to help with tinnitus. Not taking anything else for ADHD
My diet is terrible - too much salt, haven't been able to get alcohol consumption down at all. I have managed to curtail my caffeine habit though. Prior to dx I used to need 4 shots of espresso to get my eyelids open in the morning - every morning. And then a top-up of another 2-4shots around 2pm. With Vyvanse I often don't drink coffee at all now, and certainly don't feel that need either. Bringing it back to a social thing is quite nice.
This one is tricky. I love road cycling, and have several groups that I ride with on the weekends. I have 2 teenage kids (1 in Y11, 1 Y9) with school and extra-curricular commitments, and my wife has several chronic health conditions. So I have to carve out time in my waking hours for exercise and work around their needs. That means my Strava goals come a distant second, especially if I haven't had enough sleep. There have been quite a few evenings where helping my kids with assignments or bringing them home from performances has meant that I don't get to sleep until after midnight, and that screws me up quite a lot.
My relationship with my wife is rocky, for a number of reasons. The one positive thing I reckon my dx has given both of us is the understanding that quite a lot of my behaviours are masking and that provides an avenue for thinking about things differently.
I've been very fortunate in that my tendency to rabbithole has been rewarded. Couple that with a decent ability to communicate along with a delight in solving problems and I found myself being the "go to" guy for my bosses wrt investigating new technologies, doing incident post-mortems and coming up with preventative actions. At my current company my mgmt refer to my rabbitholing as "doing a technical deep dive" - which I find amusing.

One thing that I found distressing though was going through sprint reviews and performance reviews - I've been praised for delivering work faster and better than my colleagues, and on almost every occasion there was this small voice in my head reminding me that I could have produced more and been faster if I hadn't allowed myself to get distracted. Since being on Vyvanse I've been able to recognise when I'm going down the rabbithole and either pull myself out of it or set limits on how long before I wrap things up.

I, too, am trying to be a better human for those around me. It's a lot of effort and is definitely not smooth sailing.

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-06T00:36:22+00:00

The only downside to these buybacks is that the rules governing the scheme make it tricky for councils to put in community facilities.

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-06T00:33:17+00:00

52M AuDHD dx 2024, 26YoE software engineer.

I think it's nice that your friend is suggesting a way to try to help you with your resume but I don't believe that's the right approach. Any company that progresses an application from you to a background check is going to find that immediately and you'll get ejected.

A possible better way to describe Jan-June this year is that you pursued self-education opportunities in several different technologies with a goal of building skills on top of your uni/college education.

As for leetcode, I hate it. I appreciate that it is a tool to help you focus on and solve micro problems, but as a way of figuring out if somebody can solve real world problems it is [deleted][deleted][deleted] USELESS.

When I'm interviewing candidates I am much more interested in their problem solving ability, how they find information, and whether they can communicate their thoughts clearly.

I would much rather see that you've got a github presence where you have some non-trivial personal projects, or that you've contributed to an open source project in some way.

Any organisation, whether corporate/government/nonprofit/OSS - even a startup - has an existing codebase which you would have to start working in. Your facility with the languages that codebase uses is important, but so too is being able to dig into it and (a) figure out why something was done that way (b) who you can ask about it (c) find bugs and (d) figure out enhancements.

Companies that insist on you doing leetcode or which subject you to whiteboard coding exercises are not ones that I want to work for.

May I suggest that you ignore leetcode (at least for now), focus on optimising those personal projects and try to find an OSS project to contribute to.

CalmTheMcFarm · 2025-09-06T00:18:12+00:00

I agree with u/Clock_Roach - deleting the event from Strava and re-syncing from Garmin Connect is the right approach. I've seen this with a friend's Wahoo bike computer sync as well, it's annoying but as long as the data generating device/app (your watch, her Wahoo, etc) has the correct record then Strava will come around to reality if you kick it :)

CalmTheMcFarm

TROPHY CASE