WSL1 versus WSL2

The Windows Subsystem for Linux currently comes in two varieties, WSL1 and WSL2. The latter has faster performance and "100% system call compatibility" (as opposed to intermediation through a translation layer in WSL1) so it should be the preferred option.

WSL1 may still be preferred in specific cases, for example, if project files need to be stored in the Windows file system. However it should be assessed whether these files can be mounted in Linux instead. There are also some specific networking scenarios to consider.

Building a VSCode Extension

It is important to know how to build a VSCode extension, not only in case you need one, but to know how one is built.  This guide will help you achieve this.  Note that it uses Yeoman, a "scaffolding tool for modern web apps", and a VSCode Extension Generator.

WSL at MS Build 2024

Insights on WSL from MS Build 2024. For example a DNS tunnelling feature has been added to address certain VPN issues.

Windows Subsystem for Linux (wsl)

wsl is available in versions of Windows 10 and above.

wsl --list

Will list installed distributions. In no distribution is installed, it will say "Windows Subsystem for Linux has no installed distributions".

To view a list of available distributions type:

wsl --list --online

This will give you some distributions like Ubuntu, Debian, kali-linux, openSUSE and others.

Here's how to install the Ubuntu distribution.

wsl --install -d Ubuntu

There are some recommended practises for setting a development environment in wsl.

VSCode is Cool

Visual Studio Code is increasingly giving Microsoft Visual Studio a run for its money. 

One of the plus points of VSCode is it's lightweight as well as having built-in support for JavaScript, TypeScript and Node.js with other languages supported as extensions.

Advertising SDKs and Standards

Microsoft Advertising SDK is compatible with a range of standards including OpenRTB, VAST 2.x, MRAID and VPAID from the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau).

CodeQL and Security

CodeQL is a tool for developers to automate security checks. It treats code as data, onto which queries can be run. These queries are designed to detect security vulnerabilities. CodeQL is free to use on public repositories.

Introducing winget

Open cmd.exe and type winget --version to see what version you are running and winget list to see a list of the packages managed by the Windows Package Manager (latter versions of Windows 10 and above). Some interesting packages you may not have otherwise seen include: Microsoft Advertising SDK for XAML, Microsoft People and Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime.