Microsoft started rolling out its first Windows 10 preview build version 21H1 to the insiders in the Dev Channel (First Ring). This would be the next major feature update to Windows 10 in the first half of 2021.
The latest Windows 10 21H1 build 20150 in the dev channel adds three new features for Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Continue reading to know more about the latest preview build.
- Microsoft released the first build (20150) for Windows 10 Version 21H1.
- This build is now available on the Dev Channel (First Ring).
- The code name for Windows 10 Version 21H1 is "Iron".
Within a day after releasing the first Windows 10 beta build (20H2) targeting the release in the second half of 2020, Microsoft released the first 21H1 preview build of Windows 10 in the dev channel (First Ring) for Windows Insiders.
Those who don't know about Dev Channel, Microsoft recently updated the Windows 10 Insiders release model to use a channel-based system instead of the old ring concept.
Windows 10 build 20150 is the first build from the rs_prerelease branch, code named as "Iron" since the Fast ring was moved to the mn_release branch. Microsoft will release it as the next major feature update of Windows 10, which will arrive in the first half of 2021.
Microsoft also releases ISO/DVD image for first Windows 10 (version 21H1) build 20150, so if you want to do a clean installation, you can also do that now.
What's new in Windows 10 build 20150?
The core new features in this build all have to do with the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). There are three new features introduced in this build for WSL: GPU compute, WSL install, and WSL update.
The first feature is GPU compute which allows your Linux binaries to leverage your GPU, which makes it possible to do more machine learning development and data science workflows directly in WSL. Secondly, they added a new command: 'wsl –install' which allows you to install WSL with just one command. Lastly, 'wsl –update' command, which gives you the ability to easily manage the Linux kernel version used by WSL 2 distros.
Other updates include updating the map data in the Maps app. As part of this process, Microsoft started slowly updating the Maps app for Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel (Fast ring) to use the new map data from TomTom.