Windows isn’t everyone’s OS of choice, but many developers working professionally are required to use it. Fortunately, WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) gives easy access to Ubuntu and the wider Linux ecosystem on Windows.
Clearly, a sizeable number of enterprise and business types run Ubuntu through WSL, as Canonical today announced Ubuntu Pro for WSL.
“Ubuntu Pro delivers enterprise-grade security maintenance and support across desktops, servers, and IoT devices. Now, that same proven value proposition comes to WSL, addressing the security and compliance needs of IT managers”, they say.
It’s provided as a standalone application that is run alongside an existing Ubuntu WSL setup. It asks for an Ubuntu Pro token (available from the Ubuntu Pro dashboard) and, when entered, automatically enrols new and existing Ubuntu WSL instances.
Enter your Pro token in the field to attach
Pro tokens can also be deployed centrally via registry key, for situations where that’s less effort.
WSL is a novel tech.
It provides a native Linux experience on Windows, without the slowness, separation or overhead of virtual machines and dual-boots. Users can run both command-line tools and GUI Linux apps on the Windows desktop (a notion that still feels slightly surreal).
More interesting for professional developers is that WSL now offer near-native graphics performance on NVIDIA GPUs, meaning workloads running in Ubuntu can interface directly to the graphics drivers on Windows hosts for maximum oomph.
Side note: Some Linux users view WSL as a ‘trap’ Microsoft laid to dissuade people from switching to Linux. I don’t imagine users who would switch to Linux don’t because of WSL. It’s great tech but it’s more a tool than an ‘experience’. It does let folks dip their toes in Linux waters, and many who working from WSL contribute to open-source projects we all use.
Ubuntu Pro enabled – success!
Ubuntu Pro for WSL is available from the Microsoft Store, though as WSL images can be distributed outside of the Microsoft Store so companies with stricter security setups can use them. Canonical make images available to download.
Business, enterprise and cloud customers need to pay for access, but Ubuntu Pro for WSL is free for personal use. If you run Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Ubuntu Pro is only available for long-term support releases), it’s worth enrolling and enabling.
With security updates for Ubuntu LTS releases now stretching to 15 years, it’s likely that Ubuntu Pro for WSL will outlive security updates for Windows 11 itself!
Get Ubuntu Pro for WSL on Microsoft Store
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