Windows Subsystem for Linux gets enterprise friendly and plans a settings interface
(2024/05/31)
- Reference: 1717180452
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/05/31/windows_subsystem_for_linux_gets/
- Source link:
The Windows Subsystem for Linux is due to receive a user interface for settings as well as management enhancements to make the platform more attractive to enterprise administrators.
While die-hard Linux fans are unlikely to be averse to editing the odd config file or two in order to tweak a configuration, having to dive into the .wslconfig file to fiddle with global settings could be somewhat jarring for users accustomed to a graphical user interface.
[1]According to Craig Loewen, Microsoft Senior Product Manager for the Windows Developer Platform, a user interface is on the way that will break the settings out into categories in a familiar Windows interface if the idea of editing a text file seems daunting.
[2]
Loewen noted: "The Linux-style .wslconfig file, text-based approach works well for specific targeted changes. However, it can be difficult to know exactly what settings and input values are available to use in this text-based approach."
[3]
[4]
That said, the upcoming settings app will still be compatible with the .wslconfig file, meaning that GUI refuseniks can stick with their text editors.
Microsoft also said that Entra ID integration was on the way – starting with a public preview in July or August 2024. Loewen explained that, "As a user this means that Microsoft’s Authentication Library (MSAL) will be able to communicate with WSL in a secure way, letting you automatically log in using your Entra Id credentials on Windows from experiences in WSL like git, or using Microsoft Edge."
[5]
Integration with Dev Home is also incoming, and Loewen paid tribute to Carlos Ramirez from Whitewater Foundry – them of [6]Pengwin fame – for his contributions. The courageous can try a preview version via [7]GitHub .
[8]Microsoft Build 2024 looks like it's more about AI fluff than developer stuff
[9]Microsoft drags Windows Subsystem for Android into the trash
[10]Wanna run Windows on an M-series Mac? Fine, buy a license, but no baremetal
[11]Microsoft embraces its inner penguin with Linux-powered Windows AI Studio
The pre-release version of WSL also includes updates that have been moved from experimental to default settings, including improved networking and the automatic release of stored memory in WSL back to Windows.
In terms of right now, Loewen noted that Microsoft Defender for Endpoint's WSL 2 support had emerged from public preview into general availability, and Intune integration meant that conditional access scenarios can now be enforced based on the state of the Linux distro itself – in a public preview.
He said, "In the future we aim to improve this by allowing you to build your own custom Linux scripts for compliance." ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/whats-new-in-the-windows-subsystem-for-linux-in-may-2024/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZlpIfWpO3ISuSh4E32yUOQAAABU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
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[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZlpIfWpO3ISuSh4E32yUOQAAABU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2019/04/10/pengwin_1_2/
[7] https://github.com/WhitewaterFoundry/DevHomeWSLExtension/releases/tag/v0.1301.477.0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/22/microsoft_build_2024/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/05/windows_subsystem_android/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/22/microsoft_so_you_want_to/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/14/windows_ai_studio_preview/
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
While die-hard Linux fans are unlikely to be averse to editing the odd config file or two in order to tweak a configuration, having to dive into the .wslconfig file to fiddle with global settings could be somewhat jarring for users accustomed to a graphical user interface.
[1]According to Craig Loewen, Microsoft Senior Product Manager for the Windows Developer Platform, a user interface is on the way that will break the settings out into categories in a familiar Windows interface if the idea of editing a text file seems daunting.
[2]
Loewen noted: "The Linux-style .wslconfig file, text-based approach works well for specific targeted changes. However, it can be difficult to know exactly what settings and input values are available to use in this text-based approach."
[3]
[4]
That said, the upcoming settings app will still be compatible with the .wslconfig file, meaning that GUI refuseniks can stick with their text editors.
Microsoft also said that Entra ID integration was on the way – starting with a public preview in July or August 2024. Loewen explained that, "As a user this means that Microsoft’s Authentication Library (MSAL) will be able to communicate with WSL in a secure way, letting you automatically log in using your Entra Id credentials on Windows from experiences in WSL like git, or using Microsoft Edge."
[5]
Integration with Dev Home is also incoming, and Loewen paid tribute to Carlos Ramirez from Whitewater Foundry – them of [6]Pengwin fame – for his contributions. The courageous can try a preview version via [7]GitHub .
[8]Microsoft Build 2024 looks like it's more about AI fluff than developer stuff
[9]Microsoft drags Windows Subsystem for Android into the trash
[10]Wanna run Windows on an M-series Mac? Fine, buy a license, but no baremetal
[11]Microsoft embraces its inner penguin with Linux-powered Windows AI Studio
The pre-release version of WSL also includes updates that have been moved from experimental to default settings, including improved networking and the automatic release of stored memory in WSL back to Windows.
In terms of right now, Loewen noted that Microsoft Defender for Endpoint's WSL 2 support had emerged from public preview into general availability, and Intune integration meant that conditional access scenarios can now be enforced based on the state of the Linux distro itself – in a public preview.
He said, "In the future we aim to improve this by allowing you to build your own custom Linux scripts for compliance." ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/whats-new-in-the-windows-subsystem-for-linux-in-may-2024/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZlpIfWpO3ISuSh4E32yUOQAAABU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZlpIfWpO3ISuSh4E32yUOQAAABU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZlpIfWpO3ISuSh4E32yUOQAAABU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZlpIfWpO3ISuSh4E32yUOQAAABU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2019/04/10/pengwin_1_2/
[7] https://github.com/WhitewaterFoundry/DevHomeWSLExtension/releases/tag/v0.1301.477.0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/22/microsoft_build_2024/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/05/windows_subsystem_android/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/22/microsoft_so_you_want_to/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/14/windows_ai_studio_preview/
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Sandtitz
"Does "enterprise administrators" mean "admins who only know Windows"?"
No.
Do empty barrels make the most noise?
The only way
navarac
Microsoft can foist Recall onto Linux. Beware, people.
Embrace, entend, extinguish.
may_i
No competent UNIX sysadmin needs anything even remotely like the endless maze of pointy, clicky tools that are available to administrate Windows. They're been screwing around with that crap for decades now and each time they tweak it, my idea of where to look for the right place to change various Windows settings gets more and more confused.
Maybe this is why systemd has such a painful command line interface. It's all part of the master plan to shift everything to Windows control panel style interfaces and finally extinguish the UNIX idea of having one tool that is really good at the one thing it does and making the system easy to use and administrate with a bunch of those simple, memorable tools. Once they do that, they can deprecate the WSL and enter the extinguish phase.
How is this any clearer than editing a text file?
t245t
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CriticalDeviceDatabase\pci#ven_1af2&dev_1010&subsys_010000a0
"management enhancements to make the platform more attractive to enterprise administrators"
Does "enterprise administrators" mean "admins who only know Windows"?