WLinux is a distro created specially for WSL on Windows 10

Wlinux Icon Wsl

Starting in Windows 10 Spring Creators Update, Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) has got support for a couple of new Linux distros. There is a new product you can use in WSL. It is called WLinux. This distro is specially designed to run under Windows 10.
Debian Wsl2 The ability to run Linux natively in Windows 10 is provided by the WSL feature. WSL stands for Windows Subsystem for Linux, which was initially limited to Ubuntu Linux only. These days, WSL can be used to run multiple Linux distros side-by-side.

After enabling WSL, you can install various Linux versions from the Store. You can use the following links:

  1. Ubuntu
  2. openSUSE Leap
  3. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
  4. Kali Linux for WSL
  5. Debian GNU/Linux

Refer to the article

Install Linux Distros from Microsoft Store in Windows 10

WLinux is a new project for WSL. It is a Linux distribution specially optimized for WSL. It is based on Debian. It is made by an open-source startup, Whitewater Foundry, which redistributes the product for a price of $19.99. It is the first paid Linux distro for WSL. For extra money, one can get support for GUI apps and you also support the developers financially.

If you don't like the idea of paying for a Linux distro for WSL, you can try to build it yourself by visiting the GitHub page of the project. There, you'll find the required scripts.

The developer claims the following benefits:

  • A fast Linux terminal and development environment for developers and pro-users built specially for WSL.
  • Out-of-the-box support for most Linux graphical apps with no need to configure display or libGL settings. Note: Requires a Windows-based X client, such as X410.
  • Popular development tools, including zsh shell, git, neovim, and python 3.7 pre-installed. Additional packages can be easily installed via the apt package management system (e.g. $ sudo apt install nodejs) from the expansive Debian repos and third-party Debian-compatible repos. Debian backports and testing repos are also pre-configured.
  • Pre-installed with wslu, a set of useful open-source utilities for interacting between WSL and Windows 10.
  • A handful of unnecessary packages, such as systemd, have been removed to improve stability and security.
  • Additional scripts to easily install the following popular applications:
    • Google Chrome $ sudo /opt/installchrome.sh
    • Visual Studio Code $ sudo /opt/installcode.sh
    • pip3 for python (Testing)
    • fzf (Testing)
    • Think another app needs to be here? File a feature request and state your case.
  • New features are actively added based on community interest, including paid bug and feature bounties.
  • WLinux offers faster patching than any upstream Linux distro for WSL-specific bugs.

You can get it from the Microsoft Store. Visit the following page:

WLinux on Microsoft Store

Do you like the idea of WLinux? Have you tried it? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Author: Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

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