The Linux subsystem can now also be installed from the Microsoft Store

The Linux subsystem can now also be installed from the Microsoft Store

Microsoft continues to develop and constantly improve the Windows Subsystems for Linux (WSL) to allow developers to test their applications for the open source operating system par excellence directly in the OS of the Redmond company, without going through virtual machines, dedicated or dual boot. With the recent launch of Windows 11, users now have the ability to install this component directly from the Microsoft Store, in order to quickly and easily configure this Linux-based environment.

Craig Loewen, Program Manager at Microsoft , commented on the news as follows:

This change makes WLS an application that can be installed from the Microsoft Store and whose code is no longer present in the Windows image. This decouples WSL from your version of Windows, allowing you to upgrade through the Microsoft Store instead. So now, once developed, tested, and ready for a release, you'll have access to new features, such as GUI app support, GPU computation, and Linux file system drive mounts, without having to upgrade your entire Windows OS or switch to Linux files. Preview Build for Windows Insider Members.

Now, as reported by Phoronix colleagues, WLS is treated as if it were a "Preview" and, at the time of this writing, a build with graphics support is offered, based on the Linux 5.10.60 LTS kernel, new commands for mounting with wsl.exe and other improvements. If you are interested in learning more about the subject, we recommend that you read this page of the official Microsoft blog.

Today we also talked about another welcome news, although not yet available, concerning the famous Notepad application (or Notepad), which should be updated soon to better integrate with the Windows 11 GUI. Find more details in our previous dedicated article.