When transitioning from Linux to Windows development environments, many programmers miss the simple but powerful & operator that allows GUI applications to run in the background. The Windows command prompt (cmd.exe) and PowerShell handle process management differently than Unix-like systems.
Windows provides several approaches to achieve similar functionality:
# Using START command in cmd.exe
start /B emacs foo.txt
# PowerShell equivalent
Start-Process -NoNewWindow emacs foo.txt
For modern development, PowerShell offers more robust process management:
# Detach process completely (like Linux &)
$job = Start-Job -ScriptBlock { & "emacs" "foo.txt" }
# Check running background jobs
Get-Job
# Retrieve results when needed
Receive-Job $job
For complex scenarios, consider these methods:
- Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL): Run native Linux commands including
& - Third-party tools: Use utilities like Cygwin or MSYS2 for Unix-like environment
- Process Explorer: Microsoft's advanced task manager for process control
Here's how to properly background Emacs on Windows:
# Create a persistent background emacs session
start /B "" "C:\path\to\emacs.exe" --daemon
# Connect client later
emacsclientw.exe -n foo.txt
Coming from Linux environments, many developers expect the & operator to work similarly in Windows for running GUI applications in the background. However, Windows Command Prompt handles process execution differently.
Windows provides several ways to achieve similar functionality:
start /B emacs foo.txt
Alternatively, using PowerShell:
Start-Process emacs -ArgumentList "foo.txt" -NoNewWindow
For more control over the process:
wmic process call create "emacs foo.txt"
Or create a batch file wrapper:
@echo off
start "" "C:\path\to\emacs.exe" %*
exit
Add this to your PowerShell profile:
function bg { Start-Process @args -NoNewWindow }
Then use it like:
bg emacs foo.txt
- Some GUI apps may behave differently when launched this way
- Output redirection might require additional handling
- Process cleanup becomes more important