Use mintty for the windows "Docker Quickstart Terminal" shortcut

[fungos]

The current terminal uses git-bash.exe to launch the console and run the script start.sh. This console fallbacks to the basic cmd.exe where there are plenty of limitations (like window resizing, copy-paste, scrolling, etc.).

A better alternative would skip the git-bash.exe wrapper shipped with Git for windows and going directly to the alternative console that git for windows uses internally.

This console is called mintty.exe and it is an implementation based on putty to replace cmd.exe. This console fixes all these annoying problems and enables more customization.

The fix is very simple, only need to run this way (the installer should take care of the hard-coded paths obviously):

"C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin\mintty.exe" -i "c:\Program Files\Docker Toolbox\docker-quickstart-terminal.ico" /usr/bin/bash --login -i  "c:\Program Files\Docker Toolbox\start.sh"

fungos@fungos-w7  ~
$ uname -a
MSYS_NT-6.1 fungos-w7 2.1.0(0.288/5/3) 2015-06-28 18:57 x86_64 Msys

fungos@fungos-w7  ~
$ docker version
Client:
 Version:      1.9.0
 API version:  1.21
 Go version:   go1.4.3
 Git commit:   76d6bc9
 Built:        Tue Nov  3 19:20:09 UTC 2015
 OS/Arch:      windows/amd64

Server:
 Version:      1.9.0
 API version:  1.21
 Go version:   go1.4.3
 Git commit:   76d6bc9
 Built:        Tue Nov  3 19:20:09 UTC 2015
 OS/Arch:      linux/amd64

fungos@fungos-w7  ~
$ docker info
Containers: 0
Images: 0
Server Version: 1.9.0
Storage Driver: aufs
 Root Dir: /mnt/sda1/var/lib/docker/aufs
 Backing Filesystem: extfs
 Dirs: 0
 Dirperm1 Supported: true
Execution Driver: native-0.2
Logging Driver: json-file
Kernel Version: 4.1.12-boot2docker
Operating System: Boot2Docker 1.9.0 (TCL 6.4); master : 16e4a2a - Tue Nov  3 19:49:22 UTC 2015
CPUs: 1
Total Memory: 996.2 MiB
Name: default
ID: MYTM:OJ3C:ZEUG:TSDR:7DIP:5EM2:C7XR:UYC2:OGV6:6ZHA:WO3F:XUBF
Debug mode (server): true
 File Descriptors: 11
 Goroutines: 18
 System Time: 2015-11-21T03:49:59.701972393Z
 EventsListeners: 0
 Init SHA1:
 Init Path: /usr/local/bin/docker
 Docker Root Dir: /mnt/sda1/var/lib/docker
Labels:
 provider=virtualbox

fungos@fungos-w7  ~

[shawnbon206]

I agree, on my install Docker Quickstart was opening in cmd.exe. I am already using mintty for other things and I want Docker Quickstart to use it too. The git-for-windows installer has an option to use cmd.exe or mintty, maybe the Docker Toolbox installer can have a similar option?

[thbley]

I'm doing this on Win10 and Console2:

@echo off
docker-machine.exe start default
docker-machine.exe env --shell=cmd default >%temp%\docker_env.bat
%temp%\docker_env.bat

docker run ...

[jmorganca]

Thanks for the issue!

[forevermatt]

I made the change recommended above, going from...
"C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe" --login -i "C:\Program Files\Docker Toolbox\start.sh"
... to...
"C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin\mintty.exe" -i "c:\Program Files\Docker Toolbox\docker-quickstart-terminal.ico" /usr/bin/bash --login -i "c:\Program Files\Docker Toolbox\start.sh"
... as the target of my Docker Quickstart Terminal shortcut. However, something about that seems to cause stdin to not be considered a tty. (I might not be using these terms correctly... please forgive me and feel free to correct my usage as necessary.)

For example, when I run docker run --rm -it api bash (where api is one of the items in my docker-compose.yml file), the result is cannot enable tty mode on non tty input. However, if I try the same command using the orignal (Git-Bash based) Docker QuickStart Terminal, it actually tries to run the command.

It's quite possible that something about my environment is non-standard, and that most users won't have this problem. It just seemed worth mentioned so that someone else could at least verify whether this seems to be a common issue.

[smohr003]

I have the same issue.
Also, note that there are problems with arrow keys in both terminals.

[fungos]

try to put a winpty before the command: winpty docker run --rm -it api bash
I have no idea why this happens, but seem pretty common on windows, check: #136

[SvenDowideit]

ya - I also get

$ docker run --rm -it debian bash
cannot enable tty mode on non tty input

without adding winpty now.

and sadly, if you use winpty in the other terminals, that also breaks.

[cosmoslx]

same issue +1, expect to see mintty to work well

[abhilashak]

For better docker terminal use ConEmu

ConEmu is opensource console emulator with tabs, which represents multiple consoles and simple GUI applications as one customizable GUI window.

Download it from:
http://www.fosshub.com/ConEmu.html

Install it. Open the terminal from the windows home button. It will ask 'to which program this terminal should bind?'. Select 'docker quick start terminal', click save.

Start the ConEmut terminal. Enjoy the docker terminal with ConEmu. :)