14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) hasn’t been re-released just yet, but Microsoft took the time to highlight the most important improvements coming to the Windows Subsystem for Linux in this new release.
With the Linux world becoming a priority for Microsoft, WSL is indeed getting welcome refinements in version 1809, and it all starts with support for new distributions.
For instance, Windows 10 October 2018 Update’s WSL supports Ubuntu 18.04, which is now available in the Microsoft Store and can also be installed from the command line. WLinux, which is offered with a fee, is also up for grabs as one of the most advanced distros on Windows 10.
Lastly, OpenSuSE 15 and SLES 15 can also be downloaded from the Microsoft Store.
Ubuntu on ARM devices
The list of WSL improvements included in Windows 10 version 1809 also includes Linux line endings in Notepad, shortcuts to launch a Linux shell from File Explorer, and the possibility of running Ubuntu 18.04 on WSL on ARM devices.
“You can now run WSL and Ubuntu 18.04 on ARM devices! If you’re interested in learning more about ARM devices. When you grab Ubuntu 18.04 from the Store we can detect if you’re running an ARM device and automatically grab you the ARM version of the app,” Microsoft notes.
Beginning with Windows 10 October 2018 Update, you can also install Linux distros right from the command line, and you also get extra goodies like copy and paste support for Linux and WSL consoles. This means you can copy text from one console and paste it to another easily.
In the meantime, Windows 10 version 1809 isn’t yet available for users worldwide, as Microsoft suspended the rollout after discovering a critical bug causing the removal of user files stored in libraries. A fix is already being tested as part of the Windows Insider program, and the go-ahead button could be pressed as soon as the next week.