Microsoft it is offering a sample Windows Subsystem for Linux for distribution administrators, which essentially opens the doors to more Linux distributions being published to the Microsoft Store and then installed on Windows 10.
The launcher has two major benefits for WSL-based developers. First, it allows distribution managers to package and submit their distribution to the Microsoft Store just like any other Windows 10 app. The launcher is packaged in appx, the same format that Microsoft Store , and if approved, allows users to install it more easily.
Developers are then allowed to create their own Linux distributions and then sideload them onto a Windows 10 machine.
WSL is a major development step for Microsoft in its effort to bring Windows closer to Linux. At this point, the Microsoft Store provides access to five different distributions, including Ubuntu, OpenSuSE, and SUSE Enterprise Linux. More recently, Kali Linux and Debian have also been published in the Microsoft Store.
Linux distributions submitted to the Microsoft Store must first be approved by the software giant, and the company says it is necessary for maintainers to contact it via email.
On the other hand, custom distribution packages support sideloading, but will be published to the Microsoft Store if submitted as a distribution manager. It also allows organizations to easily deploy their own custom package to Windows 10 networks with developer mode enabled.
