Microsoft’s Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) allows anyone to run Linux distributions directly. With WSA, there’s no need to dual-boot Linux or create a virtual machine on a computer, but this feature is limited to the Windows terminal. Microsoft understands that some people may not be comfortable using the command line, so it is creating a graphical user interface to manage Linux distributions.
Microsoft quietly posted a proposal about WSL on its GitHub listing. On GitHub, the company is soliciting suggestions for using Dev Home to manage all installed Linux distributions. The company also shared some screenshots, showing what the graphical user interface for managing Linux distributions looks like.
Microsoft hopes to create a graphical user interface for managing WSL distributions, allowing users to overview all installed distributions and access or manage them more easily. As shown below, the only way to interact with Linux distributions on Windows is by using the terminal.
For new users, learning WSL and managing installed operating systems can be challenging. With Dev Home’s card-style interface, you can monitor all aspects of the installed distributions.
The UI model shows a new tab named Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) in the Dev Home application. This section displays all installed distributions and offers several customization options. It lists the current system statistics of the distribution in use. You can launch a specific distribution, even as a specific user.
Additionally, there are buttons to stop the currently used distribution or launch another one. Users can uninstall a specific distribution, set it as the default, or move it to a different location through the context menu.
Clicking the “+ Add” button in the top right corner also adds a new distribution. Finally, there is an option on the top bar to close WSL, allowing users to easily shut down the feature.
With the integration of Dev Home, WSL will become more interactive, and the new WSL integration is well thought out. Developers plan to add options to mount Linux format disks and display the WSL virtual machine hardware utilization of each distribution.
Furthermore, options for importing and exporting distributions are also on the list. We appreciate this model because WSL has already eliminated the hassle of using a secondary management program to create virtual machines and install Linux.
Currently, WSL lacks a graphical user interface, and the new update can help users become familiar with Linux and virtual machines.
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