Microsoft has announced the general availability of its Windows subsystem for Linux on its online application store for Windows 10 and 11. Hundreds of bugs have been fixed and file system performance has been improved.
The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is coming out of beta mode and is now generally available on the Microsoft Online Store. “We also make the Store version of WSL the default for new users who run wsl –install and can be easily upgraded by running wsl –update for existing users,” the Redmond company explained in a blog post. Compatible operating systems for WSL are Windows 10 and 11. “By using the Store version of WSL, you can get updates to WSL much faster than when it was a Windows component,” the publisher further specifies.
This version of WSL fixes hundreds of bugs and improvements, including the ability to access system support, or the fact that wsl –install now includes direct installation from the Microsoft Store by default, the ability not to start the distro right after installing with – – option no-launch or download it only from the GitHub release page via –option web-download. “wsl.exe –install will now automatically deploy the Store version of WSL and will no longer enable the optional “Windows Subsystem for Linux” component, nor install the WSL kernel or the WSLg MSI packages as they no longer are required. This is because the platform’s optional virtual machine component will always be enabled and by default Ubuntu will always be installed,” the vendor further clarifies.
In April 2021, a community beta of Ubuntu for Windows Subsystem Linux on the Windows Store had already been pushed. To help users who encounter technical issues, Microsoft offers to inform them in a dedicated Github folder and access specific online help and tutorials.