I Fixed Windows Native Development: A Developer's Journey

For years, Windows was the forgotten child of native development. While macOS and Linux developers enjoyed streamlined package management, powerful terminals, and POSIX-compliant toolchains, Windows developers wrestled with path length limitations, CRLF line endings, and a command-line experience that felt stuck in 1995. But something remarkable happened: Microsoft began systematically addressing these pain points, and today Windows native development has evolved into a genuinely competitive platform.

This transformation didn’t happen overnight. It required Microsoft to fundamentally reconsider its approach to developers—embracing open source, prioritizing cross-platform compatibility, and building tools that meet developers where they are rather than forcing them into Windows-centric workflows.

What Is Windows Native Development?

Windows native development refers to building software directly on Windows without relying on virtual machines or containers as primary development environments. It encompasses everything from compiling C++ applications with MSVC to running Python data science workflows, developing Rust applications, or building cross-platform web applications.

Historically, this meant accepting significant trade-offs. Package management was fragmented across Chocolatey, Scoop, and manual installers. The command-line experience lagged behind Unix-based systems. File system performance for development workloads was notoriously slow, particularly with Node.js projects that generate thousands of small files.

The modern Windows development stack addresses each of these issues through coordinated tooling investments that work together as an integrated ecosystem.

How Does Modern Windows Development Work?

The contemporary Windows development experience centers on five core technologies that transform how developers interact with the platform:

Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL 2)

WSL 2 represents the foundation of Microsoft’s developer strategy. Unlike its predecessor, which translated Linux syscalls to Windows NT kernel operations, WSL 2 runs a genuine Linux kernel inside a lightweight utility virtual machine. This architectural shift, announced in 2019 and refined continuously since, delivers near-native performance for Linux workloads while maintaining Windows host integration.¹

In May 2025, Microsoft open-sourced WSL entirely, releasing the complete codebase on GitHub under the Microsoft/WSL repository. This move, fulfilling the first issue ever raised on the project—“Will this be Open Source?”—demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to transparency and community collaboration.²

WSL 2 provides:

• Full syscall compatibility with native Linux
• GPU acceleration for CUDA and machine learning workloads
• Seamless file system integration via \\wsl.localhost
• Systemd support for modern Linux service management
• Mirrored networking mode eliminating port forwarding complexity

Windows Terminal

The Windows Terminal project, launched in 2019 and now the default terminal on Windows 11, replaced the legacy console host with a modern, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator. It supports multiple shells simultaneously—PowerShell, Command Prompt, WSL distributions, Azure Cloud Shell—within tabbed interface.³

Key capabilities include:

• GPU-accelerated text rendering via DirectWrite
• Support for Unicode, emoji, and ligature fonts like Cascadia Code
• Customizable color schemes and profiles
• Split pane functionality for multi-shell workflows
• Integration with Windows 11’s design language

The terminal is fully open source and has received over 100,000 GitHub stars, making it one of Microsoft’s most popular open-source projects.

Dev Drive

Introduced in Windows 11 Build 22621.2338, Dev Drive is a ReFS-based storage volume optimized for development workloads. Traditional NTFS volumes include significant overhead from Windows Defender real-time scanning and filter driver chains that slow file-intensive operations common in development.⁴

Dev Drive addresses this through:

• Performance mode for Microsoft Defender, reducing scan overhead
• Customizable filter attachment, allowing developers to control which system components monitor file operations
• Copy-on-write file linking for faster Git operations
• Resilient file system structures with built-in data integrity

Microsoft’s internal testing showed Dev Drive reducing build times by up to 25-30% for large C++ projects and significantly improving Node.js package installation performance.

WinGet (Windows Package Manager)

WinGet, the Windows Package Manager, brings Linux-style package management to Windows. Integrated into the App Installer and available on Windows 10 (version 1809+) and all Windows 11 versions, WinGet provides command-line installation of over 4,000 packages from both the Microsoft Store and community-maintained repositories.⁵

Installation becomes as simple as:

winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.Community
winget install Git.Git
winget install Rustlang.Rustup

WinGet handles dependency resolution, silent installation, and updates through a single command interface. It respects installation scope (user versus machine) and integrates with Group Policy for enterprise deployments.

PowerToys

Microsoft PowerToys is a collection of over 25 utilities that extend Windows functionality for power users and developers. Originally a Windows 95-era tool revived in 2019, modern PowerToys includes utilities like:⁶

• Advanced Paste: AI-powered clipboard transformation
• Command Palette: Keyboard-driven application launcher and command interface
• FancyZones: Window tiling manager for complex monitor arrangements
• File Locksmith: Identify which processes hold file locks
• PowerRename: Bulk file renaming with regex support
• PowerToys Run: Fast application launcher with plugin extensibility

Version 0.97, released in January 2026, introduced Cursor Wrap for multi-monitor setups and continued performance improvements to Command Palette startup times.

Why Does Windows Development Matter Now?

The improvements to Windows development tooling matter because they eliminate the friction that previously pushed developers toward macOS or Linux. For organizations standardizing on Windows, these tools mean reduced context switching, better hardware utilization, and developers who can focus on shipping code rather than fighting their environment.

The Cross-Platform Advantage

Modern Windows development emphasizes cross-platform compatibility. Visual Studio 2026, released in November 2025, includes improved support for CMake projects, Rust development, and Python data science workflows.⁷ The MSVC compiler now supports C++23 features, and Microsoft has committed to annual compiler releases decoupled from Visual Studio updates, ensuring developers can adopt new language standards without IDE upgrades.⁸

GitHub Copilot integration has expanded significantly, with C++-specific features entering public preview in late 2025. These include build performance optimization suggestions and intelligent refactoring tools designed specifically for large C++ codebases. Early adopters reported 20% build time reductions through Copilot’s automated build system optimizations.⁹

Comparison: Windows vs. Linux vs. macOS Development

This comparison reveals Windows has closed the gap significantly. While Linux maintains advantages in server deployment parity and macOS offers a polished Unix experience with excellent laptop hardware, Windows now provides credible alternatives across all major development categories.

Common Windows Development Pain Points (Solved)

⚠️ Warning: Some legacy tools and workflows may still reference outdated approaches. Always verify documentation dates when following Windows development tutorials.

Path Length Limitations

Windows historically limited file paths to 260 characters (MAX_PATH). Windows 10 version 1607 and later support long paths when applications declare support in their manifests, and the Windows 11 24H2 update makes long path support the default for most applications.

Line Ending Hell

Git’s core.autocrlf setting caused endless confusion when Windows developers collaborated with Unix-based teams. Modern Git for Windows installations default to core.autocrlf=true, and WSL 2’s integration respects line endings correctly when accessing files across environments.

Slow File Operations

Node.js projects with node_modules directories containing tens of thousands of files were notoriously slow on Windows. Dev Drive’s ReFS implementation with copy-on-write linking dramatically improves this, as does WSL 2’s ext4 file system for projects stored within Linux environments.

Missing Unix Tools

PowerShell 7 and Windows Terminal include many common Unix commands (ls, cat, grep via Select-String). For remaining gaps, WSL 2 provides native access to the full Linux userland without performance penalties.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is WSL 2 suitable for production development workflows?

A: Yes. WSL 2 is production-ready and used by thousands of developers at Microsoft and other enterprises. The May 2025 open-source release further validates its stability and long-term support commitment.

Q: Do I need Visual Studio for C++ development on Windows?

A: No. While Visual Studio provides the most integrated experience, you can use VS Code with the C++ extension, CLion, or entirely WSL 2-based toolchains with GCC or Clang.

Q: Can I use Windows for backend development targeting Linux servers?

A: Absolutely. WSL 2 provides near-perfect Linux compatibility for development, and Docker Desktop’s WSL 2 backend ensures container behavior matches production environments.

Q: How does Dev Drive compare to moving projects to WSL 2’s ext4 file system?

A: Dev Drive is optimal for Windows-native toolchains (Visual Studio, MSVC) where you need Windows Defender integration and seamless Windows application access. WSL 2’s ext4 is better for Linux-first workflows where you primarily work within the WSL environment.

Q: Is WinGet mature enough to replace Chocolatey or Scoop?

A: For most use cases, yes. As of February 2026, WinGet’s community repository contains over 4,000 packages covering mainstream development tools. However, Scoop may still have niche applications not yet in WinGet.

The Windows development experience of 2026 bears little resemblance to the frustrating environment developers endured a decade ago. Through strategic investments in WSL 2, terminal modernization, file system optimization, and package management, Microsoft has transformed Windows into a platform where developers can be productive without compromise. The open-sourcing of WSL in May 2025 signals that this transformation is permanent and community-driven—ensuring Windows will continue evolving to meet developer needs rather than dictating them.