[aklug] how to get Linux within Windows environment

[Mark Moon]

Hi All,

I'm a new employee of the State of Alaska, in a group within Department 
of Revenue that does investment stuff.  I major tool for what I do is R 
combined with MySQL, which I've used in mostly Debian Linux for over 10 
years.  I need to figure out a way to get a Linux environment on which I 
can run R but in a way that should be minimally threatening to the IT 
folks, who are Windows enthusiasts.  Any thoughts on ways of 
accommodating a Linux user like me within a group that almost 
exclusively uses Windows?

If they won't let me have a dedicated Linux box on-site, I'm not sure 
how threatening things like a VM or Windows subsystem for Linux would be 
to the IT staff?  Any thoughts on approaches which might represent 
minimal risk from their perspective but still allow for me to run R and 
MySQL within a Linux environment?  I'd like to get some sense for what 
may be more vs. less risky approaches, when trying to refute their 
reflexive, no, that's not what we do around here.

Many thanks!  Feeling like a blind and deaf being at the moment....

Mark


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Mark Moon
805.657.9504