You won&apost have to be a tester to try Windows 10&aposs new, built-in Linux kernel in the near future. Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 will be widely available when Windows 10 version 2004 arrives. You&aposll have to install it manually for a “few months” until an update adds automatic installs and updates, but that&aposs a small price to pay if you want Linux and Windows to coexist in peace and harmony. It&aposll be easier to set up, at least — the kernel will now be delivered through Windows Update instead of forcing you to install an entire Windows image.
WSL2&aposs focus isn&apost so much on basic functionality (there&aposs been an emulator for a while) as it is performance. It should load and run faster, with reduced memory consumption to free up your RAM for other tasks. This prioritization isn&apost completely surprising. Now that Microsoft is less dependent on Windows sales and more on services like Azure, it benefits when it treats Linux like a first-class citizen. Still, it&aposs clear Microsoft has come a long, long way from the days when it was waging war on Linux and otherwise trying to hold on to its monopoly in computing.
Author: Jon Fingas, @jonfingas
March 14, 2020
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Source: Engadget
