unix screen not working

[SiNZeRo]

Please use the following bug reporting template to help produce actionable and reproducible issues. Please try to ensure that the reproduction is minimal so that the team can go through more bugs!

• A brief description
  unix screen not working

• Expected results
  screen shows

• Actual results (with terminal output if applicable)
  prompt Cannot make directory '/var/run/screen': Permission denied

• Your Windows build number
  14393.447

• Steps / All commands required to reproduce the error from a brand new installation
  screen

• Strace of the failing command

• Required packages and commands to install

See our contributing instructions for assistance.

[SiNZeRo]

after attempts to reinstall screen:
'
sudo apt-get remove screen
sudo apt-get install screen
'
run screen
turn out to be:
[screen is terminating]

[ngokevin]

FWIW, tmux works for me.

[kossboss]

I recommend to transition from screen to tmux. Screen is awesome if tmux is not available. Tmux seems to be on every system now.

You can run tmux just like screen (it comes with screen keys configuration). In my opinion tmux is much better. Supports plugins as well. You can get mouse support that actually works well with panes. You can get yank support (like vi/vim tank). Its panes (screen splitting), windows (tabs) work so much better,

Everything you ever wanted to know about tmux running with screen keys:
Running Tmux with Screen Keys - Tmux compared with Screen, Detach, Byobu, etc...
Here is my tmux config, the top part is the common screen config part. The bottom part is tpm (tmux plugin manager) so I can get new features (mouse support, tmux yank, etc)... Tmux config file features screen keys and also TPM plug in for mouse mode, yank, and copy cat

Note for better mouse mode you should get tmux 2.4. Typical installation of tmux are version 1.8. WSL bash comes with 1.8. But you can easily compile tmux 2.4 (I have it in the Tmux config file link)

[aseering]

I believe screen support has been fixed in a recent Insider build. It works for me on build 14965. I would expect the fix to make it into the next major Windows release.

[benhillis]

Marking as duplicate of #774.

[jean]

As of Build 17134.165, the issue persists.

[therealkenc]

Yeah, the fixed/closed status here was because of a nonobvious interpretation of what was broken and what was addressed wrt screen(1) (a long time ago screen didn't work period). See #774 (in particular message).

For "WSL doesn't do all the init things" landing zone is #2530. n.b. That issue cites tmux but really it is lots of things including setting up /run/screen.