Microsoft has officially open-sourced the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), marking a significant milestone in the project’s development. This move allows the community to directly contribute to WSL’s codebase, which is now accessible on GitHub. WSL, which enables Linux distributions to run natively on Windows, has evolved through multiple versions, with WSL 1 relying on a Windows kernel component and WSL 2 utilizing the Linux kernel for better compatibility. The transition to an open-source model follows the separation of WSL from the Windows codebase in 2021, allowing for more rapid updates and feature additions independent of Windows releases. The latest version, WSL 2.5.7, introduces improvements such as mirrored networking and firewall support. Microsoft’s decision to open-source WSL underscores the importance of community contributions to the project’s success and opens new opportunities for development and innovation within the WSL ecosystem.
Read more at Windows Developer Blog…
