Credit: Microsoft
On April 21, Microsoft released a new test version of Windows 10, 21364, on the Dev Channel. This release includes some notable new features, including the ability to run Linux graphical user interface (GUI) applications on Windows using the Windows for Linux 2 (WSL2) subsystem.
Microsoft is making its first preview of support for Linux GUI applications, including publishers and tools, for those who want to develop, test, build, and run their applications. Microsoft officials told Build 2020 last spring that they plan to bring Linux GUI applications to Windows. (This feature is called WSLg.)
To date, WSL has focused on enabling users to enable command-line tools, utilities, and applications, but not GUI applications. WSLg will allow users to run various Linux IDEs on their Windows computers, including gedit, JetBrains-based editors, gvim and more, officials said. Users can also use WSLg to run any GUI application that might only exist in Linux or to test GUI applications in a Linux environment.
Linux GUI applications on the WSL will include audio and microphone support immediately. And users will be able to take advantage of WSL GPU access to run Linux applications with accelerated 3D graphics. More information about WSLg can be found in this separate post on the Microsoft blog.
Today’s Dev Channel build also includes support for classifying Microsoft Edge processes in Task Manager, a feature designed to help users discover their resource consumption in Edge. Categories that will be tracked include Tabs, Browser Processes (Browser, GPU Process, Crashpad), Utility Plug-ins, Dedicated and Service Workers, and more. This special feature is only available for Insiders running the latest Edge Canary or Dev versions and will be released in a staggered fashion, starting with a subset of Insiders from the Dev Channel.
Microsoft is also testing a new experimental feature in Task Manager called “Eco Mode,” which is designed to help users limit process resources. It is intended to help users limit resource consumption in certain applications to prioritize other applications. This feature also runs in a staggered fashion, starting with a subset of Dev Channel Insiders.
There are a number of other changes and fixes in Build 21364 that Microsoft lists in its blog post, as well as several known issues.