For years, the very notion of running Linux tools on Windows would evoke images of clunky virtual machines wheezing under the load of Type-2 hypervisors, all so an intrepid user could SSH into a server or play with Bash scripts over their morning coffee. This arrangement, while serviceable, felt about as natural as wearing hiking boots to the beach: it did the job, but no one was thrilled about it. Yet—cue the triumphant string section—Microsoft’s Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) arrived, sweeping away awkward workarounds and ushering in a curious new era where the worlds of Windows and Linux coexist more harmoniously than anyone could have imagined.
The first version of WSL was promising, but WSL2 is where the real magic happened. Rather than emulating Linux syscalls or treating your Linux tools like museum exhibits under glass, WSL2 leverages Microsoft’s own Virtual Machine Platform, running a lightweight Linux VM so natively integrated into your Windows setup that sometimes you forget which OS you’re actually poking at. Imagine running an Arch Linux package inside Windows, all while your Excel sheet sits eagerly in the background, ready to be alt-tabbed. Paired with modern Windows builds, this makes WSL2 an irresistibly practical alternative to tedious dual-boot setups or resource-hogging VMs.
Not only is WSL2 miles ahead in performance compared to WSL1, it also provides a “best of both worlds” experience—rapid, direct access to Linux utilities, all without ever leaving the comfort (nay, the safety!) of a Windows desktop environment.
Runtipi and CasaOS let mere mortals (those who still Google the difference between an image and a container weekly) run isolated apps on their systems without sacrificing evenings to YAML files. Before WSL2, bringing these tools to Windows often meant pain—now you just spin up your favorite Linux distro inside WSL, issue a couple of commands, and start experimenting with containers on your daily driver. The best bit? You keep Windows as your “steady Eddie” host, dipping into Linux only when the urge to tinker strikes.
Why does this matter? Compatibility. Efficiency. Glory. Instead of laboriously copying files between your Windows and a remote Linux machine, or maintaining two environments, you simply hit “run” in your editor and see the magic unfold in your chosen Linux distro. For developers obsessed with testing in the real environment (hint: you should be), it’s a dream come true that turbocharges productivity without adding cognitive clutter.
On pure Linux, Gigolo is a tiny hero, and now—thanks to WSL2—it can moonlight on Windows. Its minimalist interface takes the pain out of connecting and mounting remote shares, whether you’re backing up family photos or navigating your home lab’s multi-headed Hydra of filesystems. It’s the sort of tool that, before WSL2, you could only reluctantly admire from afar. No longer.
With WSL2, your Windows 11 machine suddenly becomes a formidable Ansible controller. Pick your favorite distro inside WSL, and you’re ready to automate anything from spinning up a fleet of VMs to deploying software across your homelab. Think of it as your personal robot army, only without all the existential dread about sentience.
WSL2 lets you bring Rsync’s formidable capability natively to Windows. Suddenly, you can back up to your home server, NAS, or dusty old desktop in the closet, all without monstrous third-party software or subscription fees. It’s the Swiss Army knife of backups, and it works like a native on your Windows box. Ransomware, meet your new nemesis.
Why? First, Podman’s daemonless design means one less beast running in the background. Second, Podman natively supports running multiple containers as groups (“pods”) and doesn’t lock you into a proprietary system. Podman Desktop’s GUI, running over WSL2, makes even the most complex container orchestration feel approachable. Plus, you get to avoid the Docker subscription fees, which is always a win for the thrifty.
It’s liberating, for newbies and veterans alike. You get to learn, break, and fix things, while always being only a few clicks away from the safety net of Windows. It’s like a tech sandbox, but with serious teeth.
And updates? Thanks to Microsoft’s commitment to both WSL and bringing the Linux kernel in as a “feature update,” improvements keep coming. Hardware acceleration (think GPU compute), systemd support, and a host of improvements for IO performance have all made WSL2 a legitimate desktop Linux experience, minus some of the rough edges.
The Linux tools you want, the Windows ecosystem you need: together, without compromise. Whether you’re mapping Samba shares like a pro with Gigolo, orchestrating containers with Runtipi in between Outlook meetings, or just running a fleet of Ansible Playbooks while your music streams from a native Windows app—this fusion of capabilities puts you at an advantage no matter which tribe you claim.
Then there’s the learning curve for traditional Windows users, many of whom might find the Linux terminal’s quirks daunting. But resources are better—and more accessible—than ever, with community support, documentation, and a thriving open-source scene bridging the remaining gaps.
It’s no longer accurate to say that WSL is a curiosity or a nice-to-have. Now, it’s a core productivity tool, reshaping how Windows users approach everything from software development to home lab management. For many, it’s the last piece needed to commit fully to Windows without leaving their Linux roots behind.
So, whether you’re a casual coder, a network share enthusiast, a backup obsessive, or an automation junkie, these seven programs unlock new horizons for your Windows PC. The walls between operating systems are thinner than ever, and for users willing to take the plunge, the hybrid life offers the best seat in the house.
With WSL2 and the right toolkit, your Windows 11 machine becomes more than an OS—it becomes a canvas. And there’s never been a more exciting time to start painting.
Source: XDA These 7 WSL programs changed how I use Windows
How WSL2 Flipped the Script
The first version of WSL was promising, but WSL2 is where the real magic happened. Rather than emulating Linux syscalls or treating your Linux tools like museum exhibits under glass, WSL2 leverages Microsoft’s own Virtual Machine Platform, running a lightweight Linux VM so natively integrated into your Windows setup that sometimes you forget which OS you’re actually poking at. Imagine running an Arch Linux package inside Windows, all while your Excel sheet sits eagerly in the background, ready to be alt-tabbed. Paired with modern Windows builds, this makes WSL2 an irresistibly practical alternative to tedious dual-boot setups or resource-hogging VMs.Not only is WSL2 miles ahead in performance compared to WSL1, it also provides a “best of both worlds” experience—rapid, direct access to Linux utilities, all without ever leaving the comfort (nay, the safety!) of a Windows desktop environment.
7 WSL-Enabled Programs That Transform Windows
So, what happens when you unleash WSL2 on your everyday workflow? You become unstoppable. Or at least, a lot harder to stop—especially if you equip yourself with certain killer applications. Here’s a curated showcase of programs that redefine what’s possible with WSL, and by extension, Windows itself.Runtipi and CasaOS: Containers Made Cuddly
Containerization is the backbone of modern software projects and self-hosted services. But diving into Docker’s arcane command line, or wrestling with Kubernetes, sometimes feels like trying to land a 747 when all you really want to do is build a birdhouse. Enter Runtipi and CasaOS: container platforms with web UIs so user-friendly you’ll half expect them to serve you cookies and milk after each deployment.Runtipi and CasaOS let mere mortals (those who still Google the difference between an image and a container weekly) run isolated apps on their systems without sacrificing evenings to YAML files. Before WSL2, bringing these tools to Windows often meant pain—now you just spin up your favorite Linux distro inside WSL, issue a couple of commands, and start experimenting with containers on your daily driver. The best bit? You keep Windows as your “steady Eddie” host, dipping into Linux only when the urge to tinker strikes.
VS Code with the WSL Extension: Code Nirvana
Visual Studio Code isn’t just a text editor; it’s the Taylor Swift of code editors—universally loved, endlessly extensible, and practically unavoidable. However, the true power move is using VS Code’s WSL extension, effectively letting you code in Windows while executing and testing directly on Linux underneath.Why does this matter? Compatibility. Efficiency. Glory. Instead of laboriously copying files between your Windows and a remote Linux machine, or maintaining two environments, you simply hit “run” in your editor and see the magic unfold in your chosen Linux distro. For developers obsessed with testing in the real environment (hint: you should be), it’s a dream come true that turbocharges productivity without adding cognitive clutter.
Gigolo: Your Mount Point Maestro
Network shares are fickle beasts, especially in mixed-protocol households. Sure, SMB is everywhere, but as soon as you add NFS, WebDAV, or AFP to the salad, things get out of hand very quickly. Enter Gigolo, a hilariously named yet astonishingly useful frontend for managing network shares and remote filesystems.On pure Linux, Gigolo is a tiny hero, and now—thanks to WSL2—it can moonlight on Windows. Its minimalist interface takes the pain out of connecting and mounting remote shares, whether you’re backing up family photos or navigating your home lab’s multi-headed Hydra of filesystems. It’s the sort of tool that, before WSL2, you could only reluctantly admire from afar. No longer.
Ansible: Orchestrate, Automate, Celebrate
If you’ve ever said the words “I’ll just manually configure it this time,” Ansible is here to save you from yourself. Automation is king in the world of DevOps and home servers, cutting setup time and banishing configuration inconsistencies to the depth of the IT abyss.With WSL2, your Windows 11 machine suddenly becomes a formidable Ansible controller. Pick your favorite distro inside WSL, and you’re ready to automate anything from spinning up a fleet of VMs to deploying software across your homelab. Think of it as your personal robot army, only without all the existential dread about sentience.
Rsync: File Syncing Royalty
Data loss: the bogeyman under every sysadmin’s bed. Regular backups are the only real defense, and while Windows offers native tools and cloud options, the truly savvy operators turn to Rsync. Why? It’s battle-hardened, robust, and meticulously efficient—it only syncs the files that have changed, saving you hours and preserving bandwidth.WSL2 lets you bring Rsync’s formidable capability natively to Windows. Suddenly, you can back up to your home server, NAS, or dusty old desktop in the closet, all without monstrous third-party software or subscription fees. It’s the Swiss Army knife of backups, and it works like a native on your Windows box. Ransomware, meet your new nemesis.
Podman Desktop: Container Power Without Docker Drama
Containers aren’t just for Silicon Valley unicorns anymore; DevOps disciples and home labbers alike live and breathe these neat little packages of joy (and the occasional pain). Docker Desktop has long been the obvious choice on Windows, but power users and privacy-focused tinkerers are increasingly turning to Podman Desktop.Why? First, Podman’s daemonless design means one less beast running in the background. Second, Podman natively supports running multiple containers as groups (“pods”) and doesn’t lock you into a proprietary system. Podman Desktop’s GUI, running over WSL2, makes even the most complex container orchestration feel approachable. Plus, you get to avoid the Docker subscription fees, which is always a win for the thrifty.
The Linux Terminal (AKA, Bash Bliss)
PowerShell is, without doubt, a mighty shell—especially in its modern incantations. But sometimes you need the real thing: Bash, with all its GNU utilities, dotfile misadventures, and command-line quirks. WSL2 throws open the gates to the vast universe of terminal-based Linux tools, letting you run everything from penetration testing scripts in Kali to Python experiments in Mint, or even suffer—er, enjoy—the unique pleasures of package management in NixOS.It’s liberating, for newbies and veterans alike. You get to learn, break, and fix things, while always being only a few clicks away from the safety net of Windows. It’s like a tech sandbox, but with serious teeth.
Seamless Integration: Where Worlds Collide
What truly sets WSL2 and these programs apart isn’t just performance—it’s integration. Filesystems are exposed across both environments. You can reference your C: drive from Linux, or reach into your ext4 Linux home directory from Windows apps. Clipboard sharing, callouts to Windows processes from Linux, even port forwarding for network services—WSL2’s interoperability is so tight that you sometimes forget which OS is the guest and which is the host.And updates? Thanks to Microsoft’s commitment to both WSL and bringing the Linux kernel in as a “feature update,” improvements keep coming. Hardware acceleration (think GPU compute), systemd support, and a host of improvements for IO performance have all made WSL2 a legitimate desktop Linux experience, minus some of the rough edges.
The Practical Revolution: How Everyday Users Win
Why does all this matter? Because for years, users had to make hard trade-offs. Dual-boot or VM? Snappy but limited, or feature-rich but slow? WSL2 and its curated apps mean these aren’t choices anyone has to make anymore. The home server enthusiast, the sysadmin running Windows at the office, the developer avoiding another night of triple-boot drama—all these users finally get to color outside the lines.The Linux tools you want, the Windows ecosystem you need: together, without compromise. Whether you’re mapping Samba shares like a pro with Gigolo, orchestrating containers with Runtipi in between Outlook meetings, or just running a fleet of Ansible Playbooks while your music streams from a native Windows app—this fusion of capabilities puts you at an advantage no matter which tribe you claim.
Challenges, Quirks, and the Limits of Harmony
Of course, no love story is without its drama. Integrating Linux tools on Windows isn’t always a walk in the park—some fringe cases, especially concerning hardware access or high-performance graphics, still work better on bare-metal Linux. WSL2, for all its seamlessness, is still a VM under the hood, and certain edge cases (think raw USB device passthrough or gaming-specific scenarios) can pose headaches.Then there’s the learning curve for traditional Windows users, many of whom might find the Linux terminal’s quirks daunting. But resources are better—and more accessible—than ever, with community support, documentation, and a thriving open-source scene bridging the remaining gaps.
Future-Proofing: What Lies Ahead for WSL and Its Companions
Microsoft isn’t done yet. WSL is evolving rapidly, with ever-more distros available, integration with the Microsoft Store, and continual updates to the underlying Linux kernel. Future iterations may close even more of the traditional gaps. Container development, native app GUIs (thanks to the increasingly robust support for GUI apps in WSLg), GPU compute—these are all areas where WSL and the programs built on it will continue to grow.It’s no longer accurate to say that WSL is a curiosity or a nice-to-have. Now, it’s a core productivity tool, reshaping how Windows users approach everything from software development to home lab management. For many, it’s the last piece needed to commit fully to Windows without leaving their Linux roots behind.
Making the Jump: How to Try These Programs Out
Curious? Setting up WSL2 is easier than ever. Install your chosen Linux distro straight from the Microsoft Store, run through initial setup, and off you go. Here’s a quick taste of what that looks like:- Open PowerShell and run:
wsl --install - Pick your Linux flavor: Ubuntu? Debian? Even something fancy like openSUSE or Kali?
- Update your WSL version if needed:
wsl --set-version <distro name> 2 - Once inside your new Linux home, install whatever you like:
sudo apt install gigolo(for instance) - Download and install program-specific extensions (like the VS Code WSL extension)
Closing Thoughts: WSL Isn’t Just for the Curious—It’s for Everyone
It’s easy to dismiss WSL as a tool for hobbyists or enterprise environments, but that underestimates its power. WSL2 and its supporting cast of Linux programs transform any Windows 11 machine into a serious Linux development environment, a DIY server playground, or a sysadmin’s Swiss Army knife.So, whether you’re a casual coder, a network share enthusiast, a backup obsessive, or an automation junkie, these seven programs unlock new horizons for your Windows PC. The walls between operating systems are thinner than ever, and for users willing to take the plunge, the hybrid life offers the best seat in the house.
With WSL2 and the right toolkit, your Windows 11 machine becomes more than an OS—it becomes a canvas. And there’s never been a more exciting time to start painting.
Source: XDA These 7 WSL programs changed how I use Windows
