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At least Microsoft is internally consistent for once and and naming it after an older similar project: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Services_for_UNIX

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Based on Microsoft’s ability to plan and manage product naming I think you stumbled on a coincidence there rather than actual intent.

I think the concept of "sub system" is quite integral to the NT kernel. Might have been easier if they had stolen the name from user-mode linux - which might be more suitable for wsl2 in some ways... But that was/is a quite different type of project:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/User-mode_Linux

See "Win32 environment subsystem" and "OS/2 environment subsystem" here:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Windows_NT

Then there was coLinux: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative_Linux

Maybe they should've called it LINE (after WINE)....

Yes fair point.

However WSL2 is just a heavily disguised Hyper-V virtual machine with lots of weirdness around it rather than a proper NT subsystem.

They could change the documentation they used for WSL 1, and make people even more confused.

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