New Windows 10 Insider Build Brings WSL 2

Last night, Microsoft released a new Windows 10 20H1 Insider Preview build. Among the improvements is our first peek at Windows Subsystem for Linux 2.

WSL 2 is a new version of the architecture that powers the Windows Subsystem for Linux to run ELF64 Linux binaries on Windows,” Microsoft’s Dona Sarkar writes. “This new architecture, which uses a real Linux kernel, changes how these Linux binaries interact with Windows and your computer’s hardware, but still provides the same user experience as in WSL 1 (the current widely available version). WSL 2 delivers a much faster file system performance and full system call compatibility, which lets you run more applications like Docker.”

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New download throttling options for Delivery Optimization are also new in Windows 10 Insider Preview build 18917.

“We’ve heard from our users with very low connection speeds that setting download throttling as a percentage of available bandwidth isn’t providing enough relief in reducing the impact on their networks,” Sarkar explains. “That’s why we’ve added a new option to throttle the bandwidth used by Delivery Optimization as an absolute value.”

Build 18917 also includes improvements to Narrator’s data table reading capabilities, a more compact new Windows Ink Workspace experience, and numerous other changes, improvements, and fixes.

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Conversation 8 comments

  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    13 June, 2019 - 10:19 am

    <p>is there any word on adding native X11 support? It would be really nice for that to just work out of the box.</p>

  • Pierre Masse

    13 June, 2019 - 12:04 pm

    <p>Can't wait for Windows Lite.</p>

  • noflames

    13 June, 2019 - 12:39 pm

    <p>I use WSL every day, looking forward to WSL2. I hope they can get it in the fall update, I don't want to wait a year.</p><p><br></p>

    • sevenacids

      14 June, 2019 - 6:49 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#435117">In reply to NoFlames:</a></em></blockquote><p>I don't think it will be in 19H2, IMO there's just not enough time left to make this stable. There's not even a single test build of 19H2 out yet, and we're only a few months away from September. The longer it remains like that, the more likely it gets that 19H2 might not be an entirely new build, but kind of a big service pack-like cumulative update to 19H1 (I'd pretty much welcome that).</p>

  • Digthatfish

    13 June, 2019 - 6:25 pm

    <p>I wonder just how quickly corporate admins will be in disabling this feature <em>sorry </em>security risk.</p><p><br></p><p>Still rocking 1803 in our corporate world…</p>

    • sevenacids

      14 June, 2019 - 6:46 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#435235">In reply to Digthatfish:</a></em></blockquote><p>WSL is disabled by default, so no need for admins to take action. It's a feature primarily for developers, and I don't really see the point in it being a security risk, not more than anything else of this kind. The Linux kernel runs in a special Hyper-V virtual machine environment.</p>

      • Digthatfish

        16 June, 2019 - 5:07 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#435397">In reply to sevenacids:</a></em></blockquote><blockquote>Good point re disabled by default. Security may still deem it a security risk as if enabled it currently has a separate IP address so could potentially bypass security software.</blockquote><blockquote>It is frustrating for those working in Enterprises and have Win 10 mandated to then be "stuck" on old versions. 1803 does end if life until Nov 2020. That's a long time in our industry to have to wait for new features.</blockquote><p><br></p>

  • saint4eva

    15 June, 2019 - 10:17 am

    <p>Keep it coming, Microsoft.</p>

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