The second version of the Windows subsystem for Linux, WSL 2 which is part of the development versions Windows 10 20H1, General availability scheduled for May 2020. IIt includes a Linux kernel that claims to perform better than WSL 1.
WSL 2 is the new version of the architecture that enables the Windows subsystem for Linux to run ELF64 Linux binaries on Windows. This new architecture, which uses a real Linux kernel, modifies the way these Linux binaries interact with Windows and hardware, while offering the same user experience as in WSL 1.
WSL 2 offers much faster file system performance and full support for system calls, allowing you to run more applications like Docker. Windows May 2020 Update will be released with nice UI improvements.
Besides that in this update it is presumed a better performance of the subsystem and is that a Windows developer Dave Rupert shared information on his blog in which when executing a process that did WLS 1 in 7.853 seconds, WLS 2 did it in 0.567 seconds.
But it's not just that. WSL 2 also improves npm installation, web compilation, file viewing, module hot reload, server startup, and more.
Almost everything you do every day as a web developer is considerably faster. It's like having a Mac again (or maybe better, because Apple has downgraded its processors in favor of battery life in recent years
Said Dave Rupert.
To fully enjoy the benefits of WSL 2, Rupert recommends moving your project files from / mnt / c / Users / / to your new Linux home directory on your new VHD. Therefore, the contents of your disk will be visible on the network by going to \\ wsl $ \ \ \ home or by typing the explorer.exe command. from your bash prompt.
Regarding web development, share that with VS Code, developer experience is good. Remote Extension acts as a bridge to the WSL and forces the VS Code to perform all its operations (git, command line, extension installations, etc.) directly on the Linux distribution so that everything is very autonomous.
According to Rupert, the move for web developers to WLS 2 is a new era in the offing for them. Possible initial issues have certainly been resolved by the WSL team since the Preview builds were made available to Insiders. In an article titled "What's New for Windows 10 Insider Preview Builds (20H1)" published late last month, Microsoft says it has fixed some issues.
For example, according to the article, above, the memory of your virtual machine WSL 2 expanded to meet your workflow needs, but it was not reduced when memory was no longer needed. Now when memory is no longer used in Linux virtual machine, it will be released for Windows, reducing memory size accordingly.
Rupert also reports that Windows Terminal is now improved. It solves all of my previous problems with missing tabs, JSON configurability, and the fleeting "feel good" problem in Windows. It is always strange to say it, but Windows Terminal is without a doubt the best Windows terminal “, the developer enthuses. And Rupert concludes by saying: «Without a doubt, WSL 2 is the biggest improvement I have seen since then, and it seems that it is a new era for Windows web development
With WSL, I can transparently access Linux and Windows files. I use Terminal (Windows) and various Unix tools for many things (compilation and testing on Posix, objdump, debugging). I get the best of both worlds, ”wrote another commenter.
But accessing WSL 2 files in / mnt / c / is now excruciatingly slow. So I stick with WSL 1 «. He added that “From what I have read, Microsoft intends to support WSL1 and WSL2 for the foreseeable future. So it's a good thing
Source: https://daverupert.com/