Windows 11 looks to be getting a key Linux tool added in the future
Not something everyone will use, but it’ll certainly be a welcome addition
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What you need to know
For those who work acrossWindows 11as well as Linux (or macOS), there are different ways of doing things. For the latter two, there are many similarities, but Windows has always been a little different. Now, though, it looks like one key tool used elsewhere may be coming to Windows.
Spotted in a leaked Windows Server preview build byWindows Latest, a new option to enablesudolooks like it’s being added. This would bring some operations from within the terminal on Windows in line with Linux and macOS.
What is sudo?
Sudo simply means “superuser do” and is used when requiring elevated privileges on a user account while executing commands. For example, on Debian-based Linux distros, you would entersudo apt updateto update your system packages. Not everything requires elevated privileges, but the command applies them as and when necessary.
It’s similar to requiring administrator rights on Windows, where currently you would choose specifically to run your terminal as administrator.
As per the report fromWindows Latest, this new feature would appear to have three configurable options for sudo behavior. This includes opening in a new window, opening with input disabled, or inline, which you would imagine means keeping everything in the same session as it would on Linux.
It could seem like a small change, but it’s actually far from it. Not only would it bring Windows into line with other platforms developers and system admins use regularly with a standard command, it could also make executing with admin rights far simpler. As a regularLinux/WSLuser myself, sudo is already engrained into my brain, but whenever I switch over to PowerShell, I just find myself getting frustrated because it’s different. I, for one, welcome the arrival of our new sudo overlord.
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Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you’ll find him steering the site’s coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon atmstdn.social/@richdevine
