Posted on Tuesday, March 17 2020 @ 13:04 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
One of the bigger new features in Windows 10 version 2004 is the second-generation Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2). Now we learn that Microsoft made a last-minute change to improve the serviceability of WSL2: the company will distribute the Linux kernel via Windows Update rather than make it part of the Windows OS image.
WSL is mainly intended for developers, it gives access to a fully-featured Linux command-line environment.
Specifically, Microsoft has decided to remove the Linux kernel from the Windows OS image with WSL2. Instead, the company will deliver it to users' machines using Windows Update. Users will be able to manually check for new kernel updates by clicking the "Check for Updates" button or by waiting for Windows to do this automatically.
"Our end goal is for this change to be seamless, where your Linux kernel is kept up to date without you needing to think about it. By default this will be handled entirely by Windows, just like regular updates on your machine," said Microsoft Program Manager Craig Loewen in a blog post today outlining the coming change.
More details
at ZD Net.
