Microsoft has announced the Liberation as open source of the Windows subsystem for Linux. Good news for those who value this type of Open Source software in front of the closed code, for their possibilities for code auditing or facilities to reuse and/or change it at the will of external developers.
Microsoft has released the entire WSL code except two sections that are not relevant for the use of this tool, the Kernel Lxcore.Sys side controller that is still integrated into the Windows image and the P9RDR.SYS and P9NP.DLL files that allow to use “ WSL.Localhost” for the redirection of the Windows file system to Linux
The code is now available on the project page in Github and in addition to the technical advantages mentioned, other strategic ones such as its future maintenance At the hands of third parties through bifurcations in the event that Microsoft gave him a folder as happened with the Windows subsystem for Android.
The Windows subsystem for Linux is increasingly attractive
Microsoft has not stopped improving WSL since its announcement nine years ago at its Build conference. Although the initial version only allowed to use Bash (the command interpreter that is installed by default in most GNU/Linux distributions) in Windows, the announcement It was a real bombing. And a change of 180 degrees. Far behind it was when the previous CEO, Steve Ballmer, defined Linux as “A Cancer”.
From the appointment of Satya Nadella as CEO, Microsoft changed the strategy with a growing «Love for Linux» And the Windows subsystem for Linux is surely the most representative, together with the “first class support” for the open source system in its public cloud. Today, about 30% of virtual machines in Azure use Linux.
Although most Linux users consider that the experience with the free system is only possible to install a complete distribution (or a dual starting mode) that occupies their own partition and file system, you have to recognize Microsoft the facilities you have given with this WSL at the time of Execute a Linux distribution and/or applications.
Of course, Microsoft’s goal is not altruistic and simply prefers that if a user needs/wants some Linux Do it inside Windows. For this, he has given all kinds of facilities to developers, professionals or advanced users who use it and now announces the icing that is his release as an open source.
