Info for Windows 10 users: v2004 WSL updates

General
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Hi all, quick update for anyone using Windows 10 with Node-RED.

The 2004 version recently released has updated Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to v2. It now uses a full Linux kernel and has greatly speeded up filing system access (though at the cost of reducing speed when accessing native windows folders).

One of the useful changes for Node-RED developers/users is that you can now access Linux services running under WSL from the localhost location on the Windows side. In other words, as though it were a native Windows service.

Also worth remembering that Visual Studio Code has an official extension for remote development (editing, running, debugging) that works natively with WSL.

So if you get confused by having to switch between Windows and Linux (Pi) when using Node-RED or doing development, you can now have your cake and eat it :slight_smile:

BTW, if you are doing development on WSL, Linux or anywhere else, I recommend checking out Microsoft's new Terminal. This can be (and should be) installed via the Microsoft Store and gives you a high-performance, highly compatible terminal with a multi-tabbed and multi-windowed interface. Still a work in progress but it already works well.

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Julian, for us muggles, what exactly is the benefit to Node-RED users?

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Run Linux on Windows without the overheads of a traditional VM. No benefit if you are happy working with Windows. But useful if you are more used to working with Linux or need a Linux environment on the go but need to work with a Windows PC.

A Windows laptop is much better supported than a Linux one.

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