this post was submitted on 19 May 2025
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In my view it's a Linux subsystem for Windows.
Why the name is the other way around, I'll never understand.
The original WSL doesn't use the Linux kernel at all, it's a Windows Subsystem for compatibility with Linux. WSL2 actually visualizes a complete Linux kernel, but the name stuck.
The original WSL DOES use the Linux kernel. Which runs as a native NT process (there's a huge difference between NT and Win32 processes). But porting a Linux kernel into the NT binary is a maintenance nightmare, it's much easier to run the original in a slim VM.
It's a windows subsystem, and it runs linux.
Windows subsystem for (running) linux?
I guess the logic is that it's a subsystem of Windows for the purpose of running Linux apps.
Agree though that it's a confusing name. I remember thinking the same thing about Windows Subsystem for Android (the compatibility layer to run Android apps in Windows)