{
  "id": 16078282,
  "title": "I moved away from Ubuntu on bare metal to WSL, and my Windows 11 PC handles my everyday Linux tasks now",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/i-moved-away-from-ubuntu-on-bare-metal-to-wsl-and-my-windows-11-pc",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-22T17:30:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "XDA Developers",
    "slug": "xda-developers",
    "url": "https://www.xda-developers.com/i-moved-away-from-ubuntu-on-bare-metal-to-wsl-and-my-windows-11-pc-handles-my-everyday-linux-tasks-now/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For years, I've been a frequent user of different Linux distributions, usually employing a dual-boot setup with Ubuntu and Windows 11 on my primary machine. This arrangement served me well, but it had its drawbacks. Virtual machines consumed too many system resources, and they couldn't handle graphically demanding applications. Bare-metal setups, on the other hand, were prone to issues when Windows updates broke the Ubuntu bootloader.\n\nAfter encountering these problems, I discovered Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and decided to give it a try. WSL swiftly replaced my Ubuntu boot drive, eliminating the need for a separate SSD partition. The combination of the WSL engine and Ubuntu files now occupies less than 15GB on my Windows 11 host, while dynamically expanding the Linux virtual disk allows for flexible partitioning.\n\nAn added benefit is WSL's GPU acceleration, enabling me to harness the power of my RTX 3080 Ti for AI experiments. Moreover, I can edit files directly from my WSL-based Ubuntu instance, without needing to navigate workarounds or log out of either OS. My Linux tasks, including coding, automation, and AI projects, run just as smoothly on WSL as they did on bare-metal.\n\nThough I primarily use the Ubuntu distribution, I can easily switch to other options like Debian, Kali Linux, openSUSE, Fedora, Arch, and AlmaLinux. These can be configured within minutes using the command: wsl --install distro_name. Even quirky distros like NixOS and Gentoo are supported, and their small footprint (5-10 GB) allows for easy experimentation without the need for mass deletion of files.\n\nWSL's ease of setup, with the entire setup running in under 30 minutes, and its compatibility made me a believer. I've experienced no performance issues or deal-breaking compatibility problems over the years, despite diving into various WSL projects.",
  "summary": "WSL is now responsible for my Linux misadventures",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}