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Microsoft has announced the general availability of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), which is now available in its full form from the Microsoft Store.
WSL, previously available in Preview form, allows developers to use their laptop of choice to program to run a GNU/Linux environment without the overhead of a traditional virtual machine or dual-boot configuration, Microsoft said.
“Our goal is to get as many people as possible to use the Store version of WSL because it provides the best experience with the latest features,” Windows Developer Platform Program Manager Craig Loewen wrote in a blog post. (opens in new tab) announce the news.
WSL for Windows 10
Loewen added that the new version of WSL, which contains “hundreds” of bug fixes and improvements, will also be available on Windows 11 and Windows 10, meaning it will be available to about 87% of all Windows users.
The Microsoft Store version is what users will receive when they run ‘wsl –install’ or ‘wsl –update’ in the command line, and it also promises to deliver faster and easier updates compared to when it was a Windows component .
If you’re already using a version that wasn’t available in the Microsoft Store, you’ll probably want to upgrade. You can do this by getting the latest backport, which will be automatically pushed to users by the end of the year, says Loewen.
You must also be running Windows 10 21H1, 21H2, or 22H2 or Windows 11 21H2 with all November updates applied.
The fact that WSL will be available in the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 users will be good news for many users who have decided not to upgrade to Windows 11.
The last StatCounter (opens in new tab) figures suggest that 71% of Windows users prefer Windows 10. Windows 11 currently takes up 15% of the space, up from less than 3% at the start of 2022.