The Microsoft of the era Satya Nadella loves Linux, and the convergence of the two operating systems continues to grow. Microsoft has recently posted a series of blog posts in which we learn that the Linux subsystem will soon move to the v2 that a full Linux kernel arrives this summer in Windows 10 and that a real Terminal application (see video in end of article) will also disembark. For now, the Linux v1 subsystem available in Windows is very limited and suffers from performance issues.
Windows 10 will integrate a real Linux kernel, update WSL and get a new terminal
The v2 subsystem (WSL 2) uses a virtualization system optimized to launch Linux in Windows. The user will not see, in itself, any difference, except that it will allow better performance (up to 20 times faster according to Microsoft), and compatibility - finally - with all system calls. Which means that we can finally manipulate sockets or port new Linux applications like Docker or FUSE in Windows 10.
A 4.19 Linux kernel completes this subsystem - this is the first time Windows has integrated a Linux kernel as a system component. Microsoft explains that the user space is perfectly integrated with that of Windows. To install a Linux distribution, it will still be possible to do it via the Microsoft Store. But the firm adds that it will also be possible to sideload any distribution of your choice.
The kernel will be fully open source, and instructions for compiling your own Linux kernel will be available on Github. Finally, a new Windows Terminal application will bring a real bash terminal into Windows 10 - in addition to Cmd and PowerShell. The Insiders will receive the first preview builds by the end of June. Before a wider deployment, at a date still unknown.
