Articles about Windows Subsystem for Linux

It’s been two weeks since Microsoft last rolled out a new Windows 10 Insider build to users on the Fast ring.

Today that drought ends though as Built 19603 arrives, bringing with it some new features, including a welcome addition for Linux lovers, and storage management improvements.

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Last month we saw Microsoft releasing the "feature-complete" Windows Terminal Preview v0.9, and now the company has pushed out v0.10.

Although Microsoft said that the previous version was "the last version of the Terminal that will include new features before the v1 release", this update introduces two new ones. First up is mouse input support in Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) applications.

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Microsoft has announced that not only is Windows Subsystem for Linux -- or WSL 2 as it's also known -- soon going to be generally available in Windows 10 version 2004, but also that the Linux kernel will be updated though Windows Update.

The new approach comes as Microsoft removes the Linux kernel from the Windows OS image. The change in update delivery will enable Microsoft to push out updates faster than before, and eliminates the need to user interaction.

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Microsoft will begin rolling out the Windows 10 19H2 update very soon, but in the meantime it’s working hard on the next big feature release -- the May 2020 Update, due out next spring.

Fresh from its big hardware event yesterday, the software giant today rolls out a new flight to Fast ring Insiders. Build 18995 introduces a number of new features, including adding Windows Hello PIN sign-in support to Safe mode, and yet more improvements for Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

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Recent Windows 10 Insider builds from the 20H1 branch (set for release next spring) have introduced quite a few welcome new features, and today’s new flight, Build 18980, is no different.

The previous release, Build 18975, came with Cortana and Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) improvements, and so does this one.

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Work continues apace on the next major Windows 10 update due out next spring. Recent preview releases have all introduced big improvements, and today's new flight, Build 18975, is no different.

This release for Fast ring Insiders introduces the ability to move the Cortana window to anywhere on screen, and also makes improvements to Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

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At its Build 2019 developer conference earlier this year, Microsoft revealed the Linux-inspired Windows Terminal, which gives access to the Command Prompt, PowerShell, and WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) in one place.

The code has been available to download and compile for a little while, but now Microsoft has released a ready-made Windows Terminal app for anyone to try out.

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Ahh, Arch Linux; the distribution with the most pretentious user base. If you aren't familiar with Arch, please know it is a very good operating system that is unnecessarily difficult to set up. As a result, the ones who are successful, and end up using the distro, are often quite full of themselves. Many Arch users seem to look down on those using a different distro, such as Ubuntu or Linux Mint. This is what has lead to the infamous "BTW I use Arch" meme. No, not all Arch users are insufferable, but many are. True story.

And now, thanks to Microsoft's Windows Subsystem for Linux, you can (sort of) become a pretentious Arch user too -- all without leaving the comfort of Windows 10. That’s right, folks, you can now install Arch from the Microsoft Store. These are strange times we are living in, eh?

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It used to be, Microsoft was seen as the enemy of Linux. For some folks in the Linux community, that is still the case -- even though that viewpoint is totally wrong. Look, under the leadership of Satya Nadella, Microsoft has transformed itself, becoming a genuine champion of Linux and other open source projects. Anyone that doubts Microsoft's newfound Linux love should look no further than Windows 10 to see it is the real deal. You see, the latest version of Windows contains the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) -- a compatibility layer for developers and others, allowing them to stay within Windows 10 without the need to dual-boot a Linux distro or run one in a virtual machine.

Today, at the Build 2019 developer conference, Microsoft announces the future of this project -- Windows Subsystem for Linux 2. Believe it or not, WSL 2 will ship with an actual Linux kernel, meaning full system call compatibility! This will also allow Microsoft to issue kernel improvements by only updating the kernel -- no need to update the entire WSL. Best of all, WSL 2 will be tremendously faster than WSL 1.

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The marriage between Linux and Windows is getting stronger. Having embraced Linux with WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), Microsoft is now doing what users have been begging for: Windows 10 April 2019 Update makes it possible to access Linux files from Windows.

As well as enabling you to open Linux files from within Explorer, Windows 10 version 1903 gives you the option of editing Linux files from Windows.

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Indie open-source startup Whitewater Foundry debuted WLinux for WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) four months ago. This new, open source Linux distribution, based on Debian stable, was specially optimized for WSL.

Now the company is back with a 'remix' of the popular Fedora Linux distribution for WSL that can be installed directly from the Microsoft Store.

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Earlier in the year open-source software startup Whitewater Foundry brought WLinux to the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Not content with creating the first native Linux distribution for WSL, the company has now gone a step further, targeting enterprise users with WLinux Enterprise.

Whitewater Foundry says that WLinux Enterprise is the first product to support the industry-standard Red Hat Enterprise Linux on Windows Subsystem for Linux.

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There are a number of Linux distros available for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), including Ubuntu, openSUSE Leap 42, Debian GNU/Linux, and Kali Linux.

However, these distros tend to lack development tools and contain unnecessary packages, such as systemd. WLinux is a new, open source Linux distribution based on Debian stable that has been specially optimized for WSL.

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