Building a custom WSL 2 kernel in 2026 with the WSL system distro (Azure Linux) as a clean, root, throwaway build environment. KVM now ships enabled, so this covers the reasons that still matter, plus the new modules VHDX deployment step.
I am on the ballot for the 2026 .NET Foundation Board election. Why I am running, what the Foundation is recruiting for this cycle, and what I would bring: partnerships across the Microsoft and open source line, nonprofit governance, and a long record in the .NET and WSL communities.
Microsoft’s in-house Linux, the distribution that grew out of CBL-Mariner, just hit public preview as a general-purpose cloud OS you can run on any Azure VM. Here is why that is a real step in Microsoft’s Linux journey, not just a version bump.
wslc brings native OCI-compatible Linux containers to WSL: a Docker-compatible CLI, GPU passthrough via CDI, a full C/WinRT/C# SDK, and a plugin API that lets Windows applications mount folders, spawn processes, and react to container lifecycle events as native Windows handles.
From DrvFs in WSL 1 to Plan 9 to virtiofs, cross-OS file access in WSL 2 has improved with each generation. A new change gives each virtio device its own dedicated DMA pool, removing the last major contention point on the virtiofs path.
Build cross-platform GUI apps for WIndows and Linux using C# and .NET using Avalonia in Visual Studio.
Putting Windows Dev Drive through it's paces on the Windows Dev Kit 2023.
The vague complaints of the Copilot plaintiffs are nothing compared to the damage to free software and human progress if they won.
Microsoft is increasingly standardizing on its in-house CBL-Mariner Linux distribution. Is this Microsoft Linux?
Use Podman on Windows to build custom WSL distro images.
Having been 'in the trenches' as an engineering manager at Rancher Labs, I am very happy to return to my roots of open source community building at Determined AI.
As my time at Rancher Labs ends, I reflect on the teams I have had the opportunity to lead and the amazing things those teams have accomplished.