Windows 10 Linux subsystem supports Flatpak

Alexander Larsson, a chief developer of the Flatpak package system, recently announced that the software is ready for initial support for the Windows Linux subsystem (WSL). Although he did not disclose more details, he said: There are some workarounds available, and the sandbox function is limited by WSL.

Flatpak on windows. It's got some hacky workarounds, but it basically works… pic.twitter.com/rHYYr45ckX

— Alexander Larsson (@gnomealex) September 14, 2018

For those unfamiliar with Linux users, here is the explanation. Flatpaks is a fairly novel invention designed to make software distribution easier.

In the past, packages had a lot of dependencies. If you don’t have a repository for the Linux distribution, you can only endure or rely on potentially dangerous third-party repositories.

With Flatpaks, everything you need can be bundled in a single package – a bit like the “Snaps” feature of Ubuntu’s parent company, Canonical.

For the average user, the current Flatpaks for WSL is a bit more troublesome to use. But if you only want to use Linux tools, installing the packaged software via Flatpak will be quite easy.