Skip to main content

WSL–Getting started experience

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) lets developers run a Linux environment directly on Windows, without the overhead of a traditional virtual machine or dual-boot setup. It is a very convenient way for developers to access and use a Linux environment. But although it not that difficult to get started, it can still take some time before you really understand how to use it.

If you also had some trouble to get started with WSL2, or even never took a look at it before, I have some good news for you. Starting from WSL 2.4.4(Pre-release), you get a ‘Getting Started’ experience. Let me show…

Getting Started experience

  • First we need to make sure that we download and install the latest pre-release version. You can find the correct installer here.
  • Download the msi file and run the installer.


  • After the installation has completed, open the freshly installed WSL Settings app:

 


  • The WSL settings app gives you easy access to a lot of the options that can be configured when using WSL2. This alone makes it a great addition to the current WSL2 experience. But there is more…

 

  • Click on the Welcome at WSL button in the left bottom corner. This will open up a new window that gives you easy access to some of the most common scenario’s when using WSL2.

 

  • This includes
    • Working across file systems

 

    • GUI apps

 

    • GPU acceleration

 

    • Networking integration

 

    • Distro management

 

  • It also gives you easy access to the Docker Desktop integration:

 

  • And how to debug and run applications in WSL2 through VSCode:

 

This is a great addition to the WSL2 experience and really helpful to get started.

More information

What’s new in the Windows Subsystem for Linux in November 2024 - Windows Command Line

Windows Subsystem for Linux Documentation | Microsoft Learn

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Azure DevOps/ GitHub emoji

I’m really bad at remembering emoji’s. So here is cheat sheet with all emoji’s that can be used in tools that support the github emoji markdown markup: All credits go to rcaviers who created this list.
Read more

Kubernetes–Limit your environmental impact

Reducing the carbon footprint and CO2 emission of our (cloud) workloads, is a responsibility of all of us. If you are running a Kubernetes cluster, have a look at Kube-Green . kube-green is a simple Kubernetes operator that automatically shuts down (some of) your pods when you don't need them. A single pod produces about 11 Kg CO2eq per year( here the calculation). Reason enough to give it a try! Installing kube-green in your cluster The easiest way to install the operator in your cluster is through kubectl. We first need to install a cert-manager: kubectl apply -f https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/releases/download/v1.14.5/cert-manager.yaml Remark: Wait a minute before you continue as it can take some time before the cert-manager is up & running inside your cluster. Now we can install the kube-green operator: kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kube-green/kube-green/releases/latest/download/kube-green.yaml Now in the namespace where we want t...
Read more

DevToys–A swiss army knife for developers

As a developer there are a lot of small tasks you need to do as part of your coding, debugging and testing activities.  DevToys is an offline windows app that tries to help you with these tasks. Instead of using different websites you get a fully offline experience offering help for a large list of tasks. Many tools are available. Here is the current list: Converters JSON <> YAML Timestamp Number Base Cron Parser Encoders / Decoders HTML URL Base64 Text & Image GZip JWT Decoder Formatters JSON SQL XML Generators Hash (MD5, SHA1, SHA256, SHA512) UUID 1 and 4 Lorem Ipsum Checksum Text Escape / Unescape Inspector & Case Converter Regex Tester Text Comparer XML Validator Markdown Preview Graphic Col...
Read more