Windows Subsystem for Linux, or WSL, has been an incredibly welcome addition to Windows for those who enjoy developing and tinkering with Linux distributions. The lightweight, easy-to-setup nature of these instances is perfect for anyone looking to run Linux tools without needing to leave their primary OS. Once I started to use non-native packages and stepped outside of basic command-line tasks, I began to miss what a full virtual machine had to offer. A little while ago, I decided to make the switch back to Linux VMs, and I haven't looked back since.

When Microsoft slipped the first public preview of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) into the Windows 10 Anniversary Update in August 2016, it mostly appeared to be a niche convenience aimed at developers who missed Bash and a Linux terminal. Few outside the Insider community guessed it would grow into a fully fledged, GPU-accelerated, GUI-capable Linux environment, maintained and delivered by Windows Updates and the Microsoft Store. Yet, nearly a decade later, WSL has grown and flourished into something more, and is arguably one of the biggest features added to Windows in a long time.