Microsoft’s graphical and audio Linux apps are arriving to Windows Subsystem for Linux
This week, Microsoft launched support for graphical and audio Linux apps under the Windows Subsystem for Linux—albeit the new feature is just accessible in the Dev channel of Insider builds, for the present. The new feature is nicknamed WSLg, and it includes both X and PulseAudio servers. They gave WSLg some limited testing today, and it performed rather well.
After running apt install firefox in the WSL2/Ubuntu terminal, they ran a Ubuntu-flavored web browser and played several videos on YouTube. They don’t really suggest you base your next HTPC on WSLg—however the videos were watchable, with decent frame rate and non-skipping audio. (They tested WSLg with a Ryzen 5 Pro 2500U-controlled Minisforum UM250 Mini-PC.)
All the more significantly, virt-manager worked very well on the little Minisforum—very soon, they set up a “virt-ception” by utilizing virt-manager beneath WSL2/Ubuntu running on Windows 10 to get to a Windows VM running under Ubuntu on a machine across the workplace. (You can likewise see a Hackintosh VM behind the scenes.)
They are a lot of anticipating WSLg making it into production; running virt-manager locally under WSLg is now a huge improvement over installing a third-party X server for Windows—usually of dubious quality and support status—and running X11 sending over SSH to achieve generally exactly the same thing.
Getting Windows 10 Insider Build 21364
In case you’re not effectively a Windows Insider, you’ll need to get one to see WSLg. The initial step is joining (free of charge).
Whenever you’ve become a Windows Insider, you can convert any existing Windows 10 install into an Insider test flight. To begin with, you’ll need to head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program and click Get Started. From there, you’ll need to select the Dev channel, after which you’ll be prompted to restart. After the restart, you can head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and Check for updates.
From here, your system will automatically download and update itself to the latest Windows 10 Insider work in the Dev channel, after which you’ll require another reboot. After that reboot, a Ubuntu reassure window will open and provoke you to enter a Linux username and secret word, and you’re all set. No further advances are important for WSLg support—it all “just works” from here.
