Microsoft
For a sure form of particular person, the new additions to the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) are a few of the finest options in Windows 11. And Microsoft has announced that new WSL options will probably be even simpler to get sooner or later. The corporate has posted a preview version of WSL to the Microsoft Store in order that Home windows 11 customers can obtain and replace WSL independently of different Home windows updates.
A lot of Home windows’ built-in apps have already moved to being up to date by the Microsoft Retailer somewhat than by common Home windows Updates. This provides the corporate extra flexibility when deciding when to replace apps, although one facet impact has been that a lot of Home windows 11’s pre-installed apps still haven’t been fully updated for Windows 11. However long-term, it additionally means you need not anticipate a brand new Home windows replace to profit from up to date apps.
For WSL, this implies you will not want to put in main, doubtlessly disruptive Home windows updates (like, say, Home windows 11) simply to benefit from new WSL additions. Microsoft particularly calls out “GUI app help, GPU compute, and Linux file system drive mounting” because the sorts of main options that may be added through Microsoft Retailer updates, along with much less flashy updates like new Linux kernel variations.
For now, the Microsoft Retailer model of WSL is only a “preview,” and the formally supported model it’s best to use for vital issues remains to be the one which’s constructed into Home windows. However the long-term objective is for the Retailer model of WSL to be “one of the best ways to put in and use WSL.” Microsoft will take consumer suggestions under consideration when deciding what to do with the built-in, non-Retailer model of WSL in future Home windows releases.
Microsoft’s put up does not point out whether or not WSL will ultimately be out there within the Microsoft Retailer for Home windows 10 customers who in any other case is probably not entitled to up to date WSL options. We have requested Microsoft about this and can present an replace if we obtain a response.
