Science 3 min read

3 Linux Flavors for Microsoft Windows Store

Jaroslav Machacek | Shutterstock.com

Jaroslav Machacek | Shutterstock.com

After launching the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), Microsoft has announced three Linux distributions–Ubuntu, Suse, and Fedora–to be available for download from the Windows Store.

MS Build 2017, Microsoft’s annual conference for developers (May 10–12, Seattle, WA) has ended. Aside from the push toward the integration of AI and AR into its entire catalog of products and services, another major theme was new changes for Windows.

Microsoft seems to be softening its attitude towards Linus Torvalds’s OS. Ever since Steve Ballmer gave the reins to current CEO, Satya Nadella, Microsoft has been showing a growing interest in Linux.

Windows Store Makes Room for Linux

Microsoft introduced the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) during last year’s Build conference, stating it has done so to make Linux developers more comfortable working on Windows.

This time, what you might call the next step, Microsoft has announced that Ubuntu, Fedora, and Suse, three distro’s of Linux will be available to download directly from Windows Store app.

Microsoft also said it’s working with teams behind each of the three distributions to bring them to the Windows Store and WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux).

Microsoft has announced that Ubuntu, Fedora, and Suse, three distro’s of Linux will be available to download directly from Windows Store app. Click To Tweet

Linux developers would be able to download and install side-by-side Ubuntu, Fedora, and Suse from the Windows Store. Developers are able to run one or more of the distributions simultaneously. Microsoft also invited developers to test distro’s and report any issues or bugs via a dedicated GitHub repository.

Windows Beyond the 2D Confines

Released in 2015, Windows 10 was active on 100 million devices by September of that year. On a Build Day 1 keynote, Microsoft announced that over 500 million devices are now running on Windows 10 monthly, and, by mid-2018, the number is expected to hit the 1 billion mark. Windows is still used mainly on desktop and laptop computers, followed in volume of use by smartphones (Windows Mobile), the Xbox series and lastly, the Hololens.

The personal computing world has changed a lot and the days of waiting until you’re in your study working on a desktop computer are largely over. With the arrival of smartphones, tablets, and other smaller computing devices like smart watches, new models of operating systems (ones optimized for mobile) and new user interfaces that take advantage of AI platforms are necessary to move Windows into the next generation.

On that note, Microsoft unveiled a brand new design system for Windows 10, MS Office and other apps. Called the Fluent Design System, the new system is built on five foundational elements: Light, Depth, Motion, Material, and Scale.

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Zayan Guedim

Trilingual poet, investigative journalist, and novelist. Zed loves tackling the big existential questions and all-things quantum.

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