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Windows Version Of The Venerable Linux “sudo” Command Shows Up In Preview Build

posted by janrinok on Wednesday February 07 2024, @10:34PM   Printer-friendly

Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:

Microsoft opened its arms to Linux during the Windows 10 era, inventing an entire virtualized subsystem to allow users and developers to access a real-deal Linux command line without leaving the Windows environment. Now, it looks like Microsoft may embrace yet another Linux feature: the sudo command.

Short for "superuser do" or "substitute user do" and immortalized in nerd-leaning pop culture by an early xkcd comic, sudo is most commonly used at the command line when the user needs administrator access to the system—usually to install or update software, or to make changes to system files. Users who aren't in the sudo user group on a given system can't run the command, protecting the rest of the files on the system from being accessed or changed.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, user @thebookisclosed found settings for a Sudo command in a preview version of Windows 11 that was posted to the experimental Canary channel in late January. WindowsLatest experimented with the setting in a build of Windows Server 2025, which currently requires Developer Mode to be enabled in the Settings app. There's a toggle to turn the sudo command on and off and a separate drop-down to tweak how the command behaves when you use it, though as of this writing the command itself doesn't actually work yet.

The sudo command is also part of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), but that version of the sudo command only covers Linux software. This one seems likely to run native Windows commands, though obviously we won't know exactly how it works before it's enabled and fully functional. Currently, users who want a sudo-like command in Windows need to rely on third-party software like gsudo to accomplish the task.

The benefit of the sudo command for Windows users—whether they're using Windows Server or otherwise—would be the ability to elevate the privilege level without having to open an entirely separate command prompt or Windows Terminal window. According to the options available in the preview build, commands run with sudo could be opened up in a new window automatically, or they could happen inline, but you'd never need to do the "right-click, run-as-administrator" dance again if you didn't want to.

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  • (Score: 5, Funny) by Tork on Wednesday February 07 2024, @11:03PM (3 children)

    by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday February 07 2024, @11:03PM (#1343557)
    I heard one of MS's new features of this implementation of sudo is tab-completion for passwords.
    --
    🏳️‍🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️‍🌈

    • (Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2024, @11:45PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2024, @11:45PM (#1343560)

      Haven't you learned by now that you can't give those morons ideas like this?

      • (Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday February 07 2024, @11:50PM (1 child)

        by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday February 07 2024, @11:50PM (#1343561)
        Not to worry, my joke wasn't original!
        --
        🏳️‍🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️‍🌈

        • (Score: 2) by Opportunist on Thursday February 08 2024, @07:12AM

          by Opportunist (5545) on Thursday February 08 2024, @07:12AM (#1343599)

          Like that has ever stopped MS from copying a bad idea.

  • (Score: 3, Touché) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Thursday February 08 2024, @12:08AM (2 children)

    by Rosco P. Coltrane (4757) on Thursday February 08 2024, @12:08AM (#1343562)

    inventing an entire virtualized subsystem to allow users and developers to access a real-deal Linux command line without leaving the Windows environment.

    Microsoft "invented" Posix on Windows now...

    Sheesh. Rewrite history much?

  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Gaaark on Thursday February 08 2024, @04:19AM (1 child)

    by Gaaark (41) on Thursday February 08 2024, @04:19AM (#1343580) Journal

    Microsoft opened its arms to Linux

    , wrapped it's hands around it and started squeeeeeezing, saying, "I've ALWAYS loved you: why do you make me hurt you like this?"

    --
    --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 08 2024, @09:08AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 08 2024, @09:08AM (#1343609)

      I dunno, Windows 11 makes me wonder whether it's the bastardized combined efforts of reject MacOS and Desktop Linux "designers", working in[1] Microsoft...

      It's like the old bunch (like this: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20061106-01/?p=29123 [microsoft.com] ) have long left or have lost power and say. The new bunch in power are a bunch of noobs who don't seem to have any experience in almost anything related to Windows.

      See also: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30019307 [ycombinator.com]

      [1] not "for".

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