10-13-2021 , 01:36 AM
https://news.softpedia.com/news/windows-...4202.shtml Windows Subsystem for Linux Lands on Windows 11 as a Dedicated App
WSL now available from the Microsoft Store
Oct 12, 2021 17:26 GMT · By Bogdan Popa Microsoft has announced that the Windows Subsystem for Linux is now available as a stand-alone app in the Microsoft Store for Windows 11 users.
in other words, WSL is no longer bundled with the operating system but can be downloaded right from the Microsoft Store as long as you run the latest Windows version from Microsoft.
In case you’re wondering why this is such a big deal, it all comes down to how the Windows Subsystem for Linux is updated in the first place.
Once available as a Microsoft Store app, WSL can get improvements and refinements much faster and without the need for operating system updates. This means WSL can be updated just like a regular app, and the Windows version doesn’t need to be changed in any way.
“This change moves those binaries from being part of the Windows image, to instead being part of an application that you install from the Store. This decouples WSL from your Windows version, allowing you to update through the Microsoft Store instead. So now once new features like GUI app support, GPU compute, and Linux file system drive mounting are developed, tested and ready for a release you will get access to it right away on your machine without needing to update your entire Windows OS, or going to Windows Insider preview builds,” Microsoft explains.
New improvements for WSL users
At the same time, Microsoft has also announced a series of improvements for WSL as part of this new release, and you can find all of them in link above.
But worth highlighting is the update to Linux kernel version 5.10.60.1, as well as the inclusion of WSLg in the WSL app.
A preview version of the Microsoft Store app is already available for anyone running Windows 11 – keep in mind not everybody has received the OS just yet, as the rollout takes place in stages.
WSL now available from the Microsoft Store
Oct 12, 2021 17:26 GMT · By Bogdan Popa Microsoft has announced that the Windows Subsystem for Linux is now available as a stand-alone app in the Microsoft Store for Windows 11 users.
in other words, WSL is no longer bundled with the operating system but can be downloaded right from the Microsoft Store as long as you run the latest Windows version from Microsoft.
In case you’re wondering why this is such a big deal, it all comes down to how the Windows Subsystem for Linux is updated in the first place.
Once available as a Microsoft Store app, WSL can get improvements and refinements much faster and without the need for operating system updates. This means WSL can be updated just like a regular app, and the Windows version doesn’t need to be changed in any way.
“This change moves those binaries from being part of the Windows image, to instead being part of an application that you install from the Store. This decouples WSL from your Windows version, allowing you to update through the Microsoft Store instead. So now once new features like GUI app support, GPU compute, and Linux file system drive mounting are developed, tested and ready for a release you will get access to it right away on your machine without needing to update your entire Windows OS, or going to Windows Insider preview builds,” Microsoft explains.
New improvements for WSL users
At the same time, Microsoft has also announced a series of improvements for WSL as part of this new release, and you can find all of them in link above.
But worth highlighting is the update to Linux kernel version 5.10.60.1, as well as the inclusion of WSLg in the WSL app.
A preview version of the Microsoft Store app is already available for anyone running Windows 11 – keep in mind not everybody has received the OS just yet, as the rollout takes place in stages.