Windows Subsystem for Linux to debut in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

Microsoft's head-turning Windows Subsystem for Linux will emerge from beta to become a fully-fledged-and-supported feature of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.

Redmond's Rich Turner revealed the status change late last week, noting that the beta has already ended for users of Windows 10 Insider build 16251.

In past looks at Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), Reg writers have found it handy for developers but missing many useful features.

There's no indication some of the omissions have been addressed. Indeed, despite past versions of WSL offering the chance to run the Ubuntu desktop, albeit after also installing a Windows X server, we're now told Redmond has “NO current plans to support X/GUI apps, desktops, servers, etc at this time.” [Microsoft's CAPS – Ed] Nor does Microsoft intend for you to run workloads of any importance inside WSL.

The announcement post does, however, hint at better two-way interaction between Windows and Linux with the reminder that while “Linux files are NOT accessible from Windows,” Microsoft is “working to improve this scenario over time.”

In other OSes-inside Windows news, Microsoft's revealed it's adding a "default virtual switch to allow virtual machines to share the host's internet connection using NAT" to desktop Hyper-V. The new release, already appearing in fast-track Windows Insider builds, also offers a gallery of VMs hosted either locally or by Microsoft, enabling you to quickly choose an image to run up as a VM. ®