The Windows Subsystem for Linux is now open source
blogs.windows.com
Today we’re very excited to announce the open-source release of the Windows Subsystem for Linux. This is the result of a multiyear effort to prepare for this, and a great closure to the first ever issue raised on the Microsoft/WSL repo:

Today we’re very excited to announce the open-source release of the Windows Subsystem for Linux. This is the result of a multiyear effort to prepare for this, and a great closure to the first ever issue raised on the Microsoft/WSL repo:

https://github.com/microsoft/WSL

  • @[email protected]English
    10•1 month ago

    In my view it’s a Linux subsystem for Windows.

    Why the name is the other way around, I’ll never understand.

    • @[email protected]English
      3•1 month ago

      I guess the logic is that it’s a subsystem of Windows for the purpose of running Linux apps.

      Agree though that it’s a confusing name. I remember thinking the same thing about Windows Subsystem for Android (the compatibility layer to run Android apps in Windows)

    • BezierEnglish
      3•1 month ago

      Windows subsystem for (running) linux?

    • @[email protected]English
      9•1 month ago

      The original WSL doesn’t use the Linux kernel at all, it’s a Windows Subsystem for compatibility with Linux. WSL2 actually visualizes a complete Linux kernel, but the name stuck.

      • @[email protected]English
        1•1 month ago

        The original WSL DOES use the Linux kernel. Which runs as a native NT process (there’s a huge difference between NT and Win32 processes). But porting a Linux kernel into the NT binary is a maintenance nightmare, it’s much easier to run the original in a slim VM.