Pengwin: Linux Optimized for the Windows Subsystem

Pengwin Linux is the first custom Linux distribution built specifically for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

The WSL is a translation layer that you can enable in every version of Windows 10. WSL allows you to run a Linux host and certain applications from within Windows. These are typically command line and developer focussed tools, and they run with little overhead.

To enable the Windows Subsystem for Linux, go to Control Panel -> Programs -> Programs and Features -> Turn Windows feature on or off, Check Windows Subsystem for Linux, and click OK.

The startup behind Pengwin, Whitewater Foundry, promotes Pengwin as the “easiest to use Linux distribution on Windows Subsystem for Linux.” That doesn’t mean Pengwin lacks features — far from it!

With Pengwin, you can:

• Work semi-seamlessly between Windows & Linux
• Run many Linux GUI applications
• Fire up a web server to test a web app
• Execute Linux apps at native speed

To find out more about Pengwin, I interviewed Hayden Barnes (@unixterminal), founder of Whitewater Foundry.