Like me, you've probably heard the unofficial rule of Docker: it's for lightweight, headless servers and command-line applications, not for graphical interfaces. Most of us follow this rule for good reason—CLI is what Docker was built for. But what happens when you break the rules? I decided to do something out of the ordinary. My goal was to run a full-fledged Linux desktop inside a container. I don't want just a shell; I want a fully functional GUI that exists where it's not supposed to. This is what happened when I tried. Why Am I Doing This Anyway? So why would anyone go to all this trouble to run Linux? After all, we could simply use VirtualBox or even dual-boot Linux alongside Windows. My answer is simple: curiosity and the desire for a challenge. I’ve been interested in Docker for some time, and while I have had experience with full-stack web development, not much in the world of Docker and containerization. I wanted to experiment with things and learn by doing them, so this project was the answer. From the start, I knew this wouldn't be easy. I expected that a day, maybe two days at most, would be enough to get a graphical Linux system up and running. But the reality of the challenge was quite the opposite. The obstacles I faced over the next four days were completely unexpected and far more complex than I could have ever anticipated, stretching my patience well beyond what I had prepared for. Before diving into the technical details, here’s some context. This entire experiment took place on a Windows 10 PC, driven by a specific question: what if you could have the best of both worlds? The idea of a full Linux environment running inside a Docker container, side-by-side with my standard Windows applications, was too intriguing to pass up. No reboots, no separate partitions—just a seamless, containerized Linux desktop. So, first I had to get my lab ready. This meant installing Docker and setting up WSL. With the groundwork laid, I refreshed my Docker basics an...
First seen: 2025-08-23 02:32
Last seen: 2025-08-23 17:39