Engineering WSL in the Open: A Deep Dive into Open Sourcing WSL at Microsoft

Ubuntu Summit Ubuntu Summit 25.10
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A deep dive into open sourcing WSL at Microsoft Profile images(1)
A deep dive into open sourcing WSL at Microsoft Profile images(1)1280×720 169 KB

Title

Engineering WSL in the Open: A Deep Dive into Open Sourcing WSL at Microsoft

Speaker

Craig Loewen
Clint Rutkas

Date and time

2025-10-23T13:00:00Z

Session type

:speech_balloon: Talk (25 minutes)

Abstract

Ever wondered what it’s like to open source a feature of Windows? Join the WSL dev lead and product manager as they catalogue the journey of WSL from initial ideas to a fully open source Windows Subsystem for Linux. This session will dig into into WSL’s unique architecture, and how we aim to build a healthy OSS repo to work best with the amazing community.

Speaker bio

Craig Loewen is a Senior Product Manager at Microsoft who blends technical expertise with strategic vision. Over the past years, he’s played a key role in making Windows the best OS for all developers through his work as the primary product owner for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), and now bringing AI tools and workflows to developers in order to empower them to do more.

3 Likes
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WSL i.e. console ubuntu on windows is an amazing tool for getting Linux and gcc on corporate windows machines. ease of installation (just a few commands) compared to setting up a VM or msys-minGW
very useful to compile generic linux apps directly on corp machines and narrow-minded IT folks not allowing dual booting to Linux.

  • How do developers join you in Open source and Linux activities at MS?
  • or how can i reach you and join your team and help accomplish the vision of more OSS ?
1 Like
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wondering if the opensource WSL, someone will be able to get to work on linux itself.

  • linux inside WSL inside Linux - woah :exploding_head:
  • DOOM on linux running inside WSL on a actual linux itself - another woah :exploding_head:
2 Likes