If you install an X server, such as VcXsrv and set the DISPLAY variable (typically export DISPLAY=:0 will suffice), you can just run X11 apps. For instance, here's a screenshot of a Prolog/Tk application running on WSL:

https://danieldk.eu/Posts/2017-01-10-Alpino-Windows/alpino-w...

I have installed Windows on a workstation just to try WSL out and it's quite impressive. Many regular applications just work. I could build Ubuntu packages and upload them to my PPA (I just had to use fakeroot-tcp to replace fakeroot).

Of course, there are also things that don't work for obvious reasons. E.g. because they require facilities deep in the kernel (performance counters/perf) or because they require kernel modules and hardware access (running CUDA programs).

Er, about that: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2016/11/17/do-n...

DO NOT, under ANY circumstances, create and/or modify Linux files using Windows apps, tools, scripts, consoles, etc.

Edit: downvoting accurate information that was previously posted on HN? Really?

I think this is a masterstroke by Microsoft, since it will give Windows the best of both worlds. Something that only OS X had so far.

Of course, it's not for everyone. People might be morally opposed to proprietary software or want UNIX all the way down.

I like a Linux/GNU terminal, but I prefer windows GUI to X, I find all laptops I have owned work better under windows than linux, I prefer outlook to mutt/thunderbird, and many of my games only run on windows. (Obviously, other people's opinion can be different!)