Lightning talk on Windows Subsystem for Linux at .NET Oxford December 2018

1. WSL: Linux on Windows?
Don't be BASHful!
@stuartleeks
Web and Cloud geek @ Microsoft

2. Ready, set, go…

3. WSL
Windows Subsystem for Linux
“bash on Windows”

4. Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature
-Online
-FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10
Installing

6. Bish bash bosh..

7. WAT???
• “The Windows Subsystem for Linux lets developers run GNU/Linux
environment -- including most command-line tools, utilities, and
applications -- directly on Windows, unmodified, without the
overhead of a virtual machine.”
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/about
Attribution: Douglas Santos and Ryan Kaldari https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magic_Wand_Icon_229981_Color_Flipped.svg

8. NOT…
• … Cygwin
• Runs unmodified ELF binaries
• … for running docker engine etc
• But great for docker client!
• … for running redis in production
• But great for dev!
• … high I/O perf
• Be aware
• … for GUI applications
• But CLIs are great 

9. Why?
• Great tool
• Fun!

13. File system interop

14. Windows --> Linux

15. Windows --> Linux

16. Windows <--> Linux

22. WSL and environment variables
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2017/12/22/share-environment-vars-between-wsl-and-windows/

27. https://www.flickr.com/photos/relatedfluidpower/34106110871/

28. https://twitter.com/mistydemeo/status/1065326274405556224?s=09

29. Links
• Install: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10
• Docs: https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/wsl/
• Blogs:
• https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/wsl/
• https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/
(Environment variable mapping:
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2017/12/22/share-
environment-vars-between-wsl-and-windows/ )

30. https://www.flickr.com/photos/hitchster/5504806327/