Microsoft’s recent import of the familiar Linux sudo into Windows is more than a convenience — it’s a signal that the terminal experience on Windows is changing, and that choice and parity with Unix-like workflows are now first-class concerns for Microsoft. The xda-developers piece that sparked this conversation urged Redmond to go further, and proposed five classic Linux utilities — htop, grep, rsync, ncdu, and watch — as obvious next steps. Those five tools would materially improve the Windows command-line experience for developers, SREs, and power users, especially when working remotely or over SSH. The arrival of native sudo is real, but bringing these additional utilities to Windows as native, well-integrated commands carries both huge upside and non-trivial engineering and security trade‑offs.
Microsoft documented and shipped a native Sudo for Windows implementation with Windows 11 (version 24H2 and later). The feature can be enabled from Settings → System → For Developers and supports three modes of operation: new window, input closed, and inline (the inline mode mirrors the Linux sudo behavior). Microsoft explicitly flags security concerns for the inline and input-enabled modes, since an unelevated process could try to drive or manipulate the elevated process over shared console handles. This is a deliberate, documented change to how elevation is exposed in the OS.
Why does this matter? For decades Windows has offered elevation via UAC and the runas command, but elevation typically required launching a new elevated console or agreeing to an interactive prompt — a workflow that breaks the “run inline from the same session” behavior many developers rely on in Linux. Sudo for Windows restores that inline, single‑session workflow. That alone reduces friction for CLI-first users, and makes Windows a substantially better remote/SSH target for diagnostics and automation.
But sudo is an enabling feature, not an endpoint. The next logical step for parity is adding high‑productivity, text-first tooling that developers already expect to find in a shell environment. The five commands in the xda article are sensible picks because they solve common, repeatable problems: interactive process inspection, fast text search, efficient file sync, disk‑usage triage, and simple periodic monitoring.
The recommended path forward is pragmatic:
Source: xda-developers.com Sudo is hopefully just a start; I want these 5 Linux commands to come to Windows next
Background / Overview
Microsoft documented and shipped a native Sudo for Windows implementation with Windows 11 (version 24H2 and later). The feature can be enabled from Settings → System → For Developers and supports three modes of operation: new window, input closed, and inline (the inline mode mirrors the Linux sudo behavior). Microsoft explicitly flags security concerns for the inline and input-enabled modes, since an unelevated process could try to drive or manipulate the elevated process over shared console handles. This is a deliberate, documented change to how elevation is exposed in the OS. Why does this matter? For decades Windows has offered elevation via UAC and the runas command, but elevation typically required launching a new elevated console or agreeing to an interactive prompt — a workflow that breaks the “run inline from the same session” behavior many developers rely on in Linux. Sudo for Windows restores that inline, single‑session workflow. That alone reduces friction for CLI-first users, and makes Windows a substantially better remote/SSH target for diagnostics and automation.
But sudo is an enabling feature, not an endpoint. The next logical step for parity is adding high‑productivity, text-first tooling that developers already expect to find in a shell environment. The five commands in the xda article are sensible picks because they solve common, repeatable problems: interactive process inspection, fast text search, efficient file sync, disk‑usage triage, and simple periodic monitoring.
Why these five commands matter
1) htop — interactive process and resource viewer
- What it is: htop is a colorful, ncurses-based interactive process viewer that improves on the classic top utility. It shows CPU/core usage, memory, swap, per-process I/O, threaded processes, and supports inline actions like killing or renicing processes from the UI.
- Why Windows users want it: Developers who live in a terminal — particularly when connected remotely — miss a compact, keyboard-driven process dashboard. Task Manager is excellent on the desktop, but not convenient in a headless SSH session or inside Windows Terminal. Tools like btop++ already have Windows ports and show there’s demand for terminal-native resource monitors on Windows.
- Current Windows reality: There are alternatives — Task Manager, Process Explorer, Process Hacker, and terminal tools such as btop++ or custom PowerShell scripts — but none are a drop-in htop clone with Linux semantics, keyboard-driven navigation, and the same process tree/kill UX in the console.
- Engineering realities: A native htop would need to integrate with Windows performance counters, NT kernel process APIs, Job objects, Job-level I/O counters, and match NTFS/Windows security semantics when sending signals (terminate vs. graceful shutdown). Building a reliable, low-privilege process inspector that exposes the same level of detail htop shows on Linux is straightforward technically, but requires careful mapping to Windows process models and permission boundaries.
2) grep — fast pattern matching for text
- What it is: grep is the canonical Unix tool for searching text using literal strings or regular expressions. It is heavily scriptable and used as a lingua franca in logs, pipelines, and one-liners.
- Windows equivalents and gaps: Windows ships with find and findstr in Command Prompt and Select-String in PowerShell. Both are functional, but they aren’t 1:1 replacements for grep’s syntax, performance characteristics, or ecosystem familiarity. findstr supports regexes, and Select-String integrates into PowerShell objects, but many cross-platform scripts and makefiles expect grep semantics. Microsoft’s own docs and community guides promote Select-String as the PowerShell equivalent, but that still forces adaptation for many Unix-savvy users.
- Why a native grep matters: Consistent cross-platform scripting, smaller cognitive load when switching between Windows and Linux shells, and better handling of binary/large-file scanning and recursive directory searches — areas where modern implementations like ripgrep shine — make grep-like tooling a valuable native addition.
- Practical alternatives today: Install GNU tools via WSL, MSYS2, or Cygwin; or use ripgrep (which already offers Windows binaries). But these are external dependencies; a built-in, performant grep would remove friction for quick troubleshooting.
3) rsync — reliable, efficient file sync and backup
- Why rsync is special: rsync’s delta-transfer algorithm copies only changed blocks, not whole files, which makes incremental backups network- and CPU-efficient. It supports compression, permission/attribute preservation (on Unix), and SSH transport. The algorithm and its wide usage make rsync a backbone of backup and mirroring workflows.
- Windows story today: Windows administratively relies on Robocopy for robust copy/sync tasks. Robocopy is powerful, supports multithreading, resumes, mirroring and ACL preservation for NTFS, and is deeply integrated with how Windows handles ACLs and timestamps. But Robocopy is not an rsync replacement when it comes to delta-block synchronization over networks; its semantics are file-based rather than block-diff-based. For rsync semantics on Windows, users rely on WSL, Cygwin-based ports (cwRsync), DeltaCopy, or third-party wrappers. Those solutions work, but each imposes compatibility or packaging trade-offs.
- Why native rsync would help: A Microsoft-backed, Windows-native rsync that understands NTFS metadata, ACLs, and Windows file‑locking semantics would enable efficient cross-platform backups and make scripting simpler. It could also be offered as a supported enterprise-grade sync tool that interoperates with SSH and modern compression codecs.
- Caveats and risks: Implementing rsync semantics that reliably and safely translate Unix permission models to NTFS ACLs requires careful design. There are also licensing and maintenance considerations (rsync is GPL-licensed). A safer near-term path is improving and promoting native tools that replicate rsync's delta-transfer behavior in Windows terms, or investing in cross-platform projects like rclone that already provide object-level sync across many backends.
4) ncdu — ncurses disk usage analyzer
- What it is: ncdu is a fast, terminal-based disk usage analyzer with an interactive interface: sort directories by size, drill down, and delete files from the interface.
- Windows differences: GUI tools such as WinDirStat, WizTree, SpaceSniffer, and TreeSize have long filled this user need on Windows and are excellent for graphical analysis. But in headless or terminal-first scenarios — servers, remote sessions over SSH, or Server Core installations — a lightweight ncdu-like tool is invaluable. Alternative console tools exist, but ncdu’s minimal footprint and keyboard-driven workflow make it uniquely useful for quick cleanup. (alternativeto.net, makeuseof.com)
- Practical availability: ncdu can be run on Windows using Cygwin or WSL; however, native Windows builds are not mainstream. A first-class native port should integrate with volume metadata and handle Windows peculiarities (reparse points, junctions, alternate data streams).
5) watch — repeat a command at intervals
- What it does: watch reruns a command at a fixed interval and redraws output, providing a live view of command output (e.g., monitoring disk usage or process lists).
- Windows current state: There’s no single built-in watch binary in Windows, but the behavior is easily replicated via PowerShell loops (while/Start-Sleep), event subscriptions (Register-ObjectEvent), or community modules (Watch-Command on PSGallery). Cygwin provides watch as part of procps packages. There are also small PowerShell modules and scripts that mimic watch’s UX and features. Still, a simple, single-file watch binary recognized across shells would be convenient. (shellhacks.com, github.com)
- Why it matters: watch is the kind of tiny tool that streamlines ad‑hoc monitoring without writing scripts. For fast diagnostics during live incident response over SSH sessions, watch significantly reduces friction.
How users already solve these problems on Windows (and why that matters)
- WSL is the easiest path to all five tools: Users can install an Ubuntu or Debian distro in WSL and apt install htop, grep (coreutils), rsync, ncdu, and watch. Microsoft’s WSL is now a mature, supported subsystem and is explicitly positioned as the cross-platform developer story for Windows. WSL’s breadth and convenience already bridge most gaps for developers who can run Linux tools alongside Windows apps.
- Native Windows alternatives exist but aren’t drop-in:
- Grep: findstr and PowerShell Select-String are builtin, but different in syntax and performance profile. (learn.microsoft.com, lazyadmin.nl)
- Sync: Robocopy is robust and optimized for NTFS/SMB, but not delta-block rsync semantics.
- Disk usage: GUI tools like WizTree and TreeSize are faster for full-disk graphical triage; ncdu’s terminal UX is unique for headless systems. (topalter.org, makeuseof.com)
- Process monitoring: btop++ and other ports exist for Windows; there's precedent for a high-quality terminal resource viewer.
- Watch: PowerShell loops and community modules replicate the feature set.
- Third-party ports and wrappers: Historically, projects like cwRsync, DeltaCopy, Cygwin, and MSYS2 have provided GNU tooling on Windows. They work, but add a compatibility layer or third-party dependency. cwRsync and DeltaCopy are mature but reflect trade-offs between integration and portability. (itefix.net, thegeekstuff.com)
Benefits to Windows and enterprise use cases
- Improved remote troubleshooting: Administrators on remote support sessions (SSH/WinRM) can run a single command inside one console and get the rich, immediate visibility that Linux admins have come to expect.
- Better scripting parity and portability: Many open-source projects and deployment scripts assume availability of grep/rsync/htop/watch semantics. Native Windows versions would reduce the amount of platform-specific scripting and wrapper code.
- Lower friction for cross-platform developers: Developers who frequently switch between Windows and Linux avoid context switches and toolchain installations when the same commands work as expected.
- Consistency for CI/CD and automation: Build agents and test runners benefit when the same tools exist across developers’ local systems and CI images.
Technical and security risks — what Microsoft must consider
- Sudo’s security trade-offs are instructive: Microsoft itself warns about elevation risk when enabling inline or input-enabled modes, noting potential privilege escalation vectors via manipulated console handles. Any additional native tools that interact with processes, files, or privilege boundaries must be evaluated under the same threat model. The ease of running elevated commands inline increases attack surface if not paired with robust telemetry, auditing, and defaults that favor security.
- Filesystem semantics mismatch: Tools like rsync assume POSIX semantics (uid/gid, file modes, symlink behavior) that don’t map cleanly to NTFS ACLs and Windows reparse points. A naive port risks data-loss or metadata corruption unless the implementation understands Windows ACLs and alternate data streams.
- Permission and API mapping: Process signals, process groups, and job objects are different on Windows. Implementing htop-like functionality requires mapping Linux concepts to Windows APIs thoughtfully so tools don’t misrepresent state or allow accidental dangerous operations.
- Maintenance and support: Shipping native versions of these tools implies long-term maintenance. Microsoft must decide whether to implement compatible clones, ship upstream GNU projects (subject to licensing), or support a standard WSL-first approach. Each path has cost, legal, and community implications.
- Backward compatibility and user expectations: Many users expect GNU behavior down to subtle regex or flag semantics. Microsoft would need to preserve those expectations or clearly document differences to avoid scripting surprises.
Practical roadmap: incremental, pragmatic actions Microsoft (or the community) could take
- Harden and promote WSL as the default cross-platform developer experience while continuing to add “first-class” Windows host binaries for common tools. WSL gives immediate parity with minimal OS changes and isolates Unix semantics in a Linux userland. Microsoft’s WSL docs and packaging already make this an easy recommendation.
- Ship a curated “GNU utilities” package maintained by Microsoft that mirrors core UX but respects NT semantics. This could be a Microsoft‑maintained package (distributed via the Microsoft Store or winget) with clear docs about any behavioral differences from Linux versions (particularly around permissions and metadata).
- Invest in parity-aware implementations where necessary:
- For rsync-like functionality, either support an rsync port that understands NTFS metadata, or provide a modern delta-sync engineered for Windows semantics (and interoperable with Unix rsync when appropriate).
- For htop-like tools, provide a Windows-native terminal resource monitor that maps kernel metrics to the same visual model.
- Default to secure configurations: When shipping tools that can elevate or manipulate critical state, default to safer configurations (e.g., sudo defaulting to new-window or input-closed) and provide clear admin controls and telemetry.
- Publish compatibility guidance and sample scripts: Demonstrate how to migrate common Linux one-liners to Windows-equivalent patterns using new native tools or PowerShell modules. This at once educates users and reduces accidental misconfiguration.
Where the community already fills the gap
- WSL is the practical, supported solution for running all five commands with Linux behavior. Developers who can run WSL enjoy the full suite immediately. Microsoft should keep making WSL easier to install, update, and integrate with Windows tooling.
- Third-party projects: ripgrep, btop++, and rclone are cross-platform projects that cover large parts of the functionality users want. Promoting and packaging those tools (or building first-class Windows integrations) is a lower-risk, faster route than re-implementing every Unix binary inside Windows. (github.com, en.wikipedia.org)
Bottom line and recommendations
Microsoft made the right move by adding sudo to Windows — it’s a signal that the company is serious about a friction‑free developer experience and parity with Unix workflows. The five commands the xda article recommends — htop, grep, rsync, ncdu, and watch — are natural, user-focused follow-ups that would reduce friction and improve troubleshooting for remote and terminal-first users.The recommended path forward is pragmatic:
- Lean on WSL for full-feature parity today and continue improving WSL’s UX and discoverability for non‑Linux-native users.
- Offer curated, supported Windows-native packages for the most-requested utilities (or their secure, Windows-aware equivalents), distributed via winget or the Microsoft Store so they are discoverable, maintained, and auditable.
- Prioritize secure defaults and clear documentation for any feature that involves elevation or manipulation of file and process metadata — Microsoft’s own Sudo guidance should be the baseline for how new native tools behave with elevated privileges.
Source: xda-developers.com Sudo is hopefully just a start; I want these 5 Linux commands to come to Windows next
