{"id":3311,"date":"2020-05-19T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviancetechnologies.com\/blog\/blog\/windows-10-moves-closer-to-true-linux-with-graphical-support-for-wsl2\/"},"modified":"2020-05-19T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-19T15:00:00","slug":"windows-10-moves-closer-to-true-linux-with-graphical-support-for-wsl2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviancetechnologies.com\/blog\/windows-10-moves-closer-to-true-linux-with-graphical-support-for-wsl2\/","title":{"rendered":"Windows 10 moves closer to ‘true’ Linux with graphical support for WSL2"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Windows 10 moves closer to ‘true’ Linux with graphical support for WSL2<\/h2>\n

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Microsoft is adding GPU and graphical user interface (GUI) support to the Windows Subsystem for Linux, pushing the intriguing Windows feature ever closer to becoming a full-fledged Linux instantiation. The company announced the changes during its digital Microsoft Build 2020 event for developers.<\/p>\n

The Windows Subsystem for Linux is an optional feature within Windows, one that you never have to install if you don\u2019t want to. Microsoft originally included the feature as a way for developers to work within a version of Linux without leaving the Windows environment.<\/p>\n

Neither the original WSL nor the new WSL 2 are actually a \u201creal\u201d version of Linux, however. The chief difference is the one that Microsoft is going to solve: WSL2 doesn\u2019t support a Linux GUI, which means that it\u2019s an entirely text-based interface. (Developers can \u201ccreate\u201d graphics using text elements, like emoji do. Alternatively, they can use a Windows app to provide a graphical shell.) Now, Microsoft plans support for both GPUs and the Linux GUIs they\u2019ll power.<\/p>\n

The GPUs can be used for more than just a graphical shell, of course. In a blog post,\u00a0Kevin Gallo, the corporate vice president of the Microsoft Developer Platform, explained that the PC GPU will be used to power machine learning scenarios and AI. Those scenarios can be run either under a GUI or the new Terminal app, also released in conjunction with the latest Windows 10 release, the Windows 10 May 2020 Update.<\/p>\n

\"Microsoft<\/a> Mark Hachman \/ IDG<\/small>
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Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 running inside the new Terminal app. It\u2019s primarily text-based for now, though that will change soon.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Terminal continues Microsoft\u2019s recent trend of separating functions out of the operating system and into distinct apps, which allow them to be updated and released on their own schedule.<\/p>\n

PowerToys gets some new toys<\/h2>\n

Another example of this is PowerToys, a package of utility apps that sits outside the Windows OS, yet serves as a sort of \u201cofficial\u201d modifications to allow you to tweak it. PowerToys previously\u00a0delivered the excellent FancyZones utility, which allows you to automatically mix and match windows on your screen like Windows Snap on steroids.<\/p>\n

Now, PowerToys has added PowerToys Run, an app launcher. It\u2019s not exactly clear how PowerToys Run will launch apps better than the Start menu or the Windows search box, but it will be a free app for you to try out. A separate utility, Keyboard Remapper, allows you to reconfigure your keyboard to remap keys and map shortcuts to keys\u2014so, presumably, you could launch Spotify by typing the \u201c~\u201d key.<\/p>\n

Two to watch: Project Reunion and WinUI 3<\/h2>\n

At Build 2020, Microsoft will make waves by announcing something called Project Reunion, which will attempt to build out Microsoft\u2019s modern app ecosystem by breaking down the barriers between traditional Win32 Windows apps and the new Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps, like Windows\u2019 Calendar and Mail apps. You\u2019ll also see some early hints of WinUI 3, which could shape the future look and feel of Windows.\u00a0<\/p>\n