I'm a big fan of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) not least because I like Linux, and it means I can run it from the same PC as Windows 11 without the need for virtual machines or dual-booting.

It's been around for quite a while now and is a pretty powerful tool for developers, especially, and it's come to light that for Canonical, at least, WSL might soon be the biggest source of users of Ubuntu.

It comes to light from comments made by Canonical's VP of Engineering, Jon Seagar, actually back in April to The Pragmatic Engineer‘s Gergely Orosz spotted by the team over at Windows Latest.

Not only is Ubuntu growth on WSL continuing to increase, it's actually starting to outpace the desktop. So much so that it's expected that Ubuntu on WSL will soon be bigger than native Ubuntu use.

Obviously Linux is more than just Ubuntu, and its overall use is still dwarfed by Windows 11. But Ubuntu is one of the biggest distros, and this is pretty interesting to hear.

WSL does have GUI support for apps, but it's not the same as running a full desktop, but in most cases, developers and system admins don't need a full desktop. The terminal is just fine, and WSL has seamless integration into Microsoft's VS Code as well.

I've written in the past that WSL is a great tool to use to learn about Linux as a beginner since you can fire it up within the comfortable surroundings of your existing Windows 11 PC. But that same principle can apply for professionals who need access to both.

It's convenient and gives access to the Linux tools needed, including nowadays for AI, and some tools are built specifically for or work best on Linux. But with WSL you have integration with your existing Windows 11 file system.

I use probably 5% of the potential of WSL on my own PC, but it's still one of the first things I set up whenever I'm moving on to a new machine. You're not limited to Ubuntu, either, with Fedora my own distro of preference. But there's plenty to choose from.

Microsoft keeps improving it, too. The most recent development is WSL Containers, and it even has its own version of Linux now for users to deploy in Azure Linux. There are still plenty of cases for having a bare-metal Linux machine, but with Windows 11 and WSL working together, you've got a hybrid that's good enough for many.

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Sim Update 6 for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 was first revealed a couple of months back at the FlightSimExpo. Since then it's had some beta testing, and now, it's ready for prime time.

Sim Update 6 for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is rolling out now, and it's not a huge download, coming in under 4GB on my PC.

There are a few headline features, a ridiculously long list of tweaks and fixes, and something that hasn't made the cut from the beta period.

First up is the bad news, and that's the rolling back from the planned upgrade to FSR 4 with this update. There are some compatibility issues with FSR 4 Frame Gen that the team is currently working through alongside AMD. The FSR version will still be shown, though, according to your GPU's software.

As such, it's back to FSR 3, the same as was present in Sim Update 5.1. There are no such issues for NVIDIA users, though, and DLSS 4.5 has been added as the new default upscaler with Dynamic Frame Generation with in-game VSync support.

One of the big new features is the return of Bush Trips, brought over to Flight Simulator 2024 from Flight Simulator 2020. They're all here, and you'll find them in the Activities menu in the game. Guided tours are now also found here.

There are a host of lighting improvements added with Sim Update 6, too, as well as some bits just for developers, and career mode gets a little attention as well. I've previously covered the headline features coming with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Sim Update 6, so check that out for a summary.

Otherwise, you can dive into the extensive patch notes, but be warned, they'll take longer to read than the update will to install. Definitely grab a beverage!

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If there are two features I'll turn off in every single video game in which they are present, it would be chromatic aberration and film grain.

I get why it exists, but I wish it didn't because it never gives the look (in my opinion anyway) that you think the developers are aiming for.

So, not being able to turn either off in Halo: Campaign Evolved, a shiny futuristic space epic, seems like a misstep.

On PC there were ways around it, but now that won't be necessary, as the next update will allow both to be disabled. As it should have been from the start.

Such is my dislike for both of these graphical 'features' that I haven't even opened Halo: Campaign Evolved yet. I shouldn't need to use config files to turn off something this basic.

The updates to Sgt. Johnson sound pretty important, too, if progression being blocked has been an issue until now.

There isn't much to go on besides the X post shown above, with the update scheduled for some time next week. Full patch notes will be available at that time, and these are just the "highlights," so there'll be a bunch of lower-level stuff as well, it seems.

Crucially, it looks like you'll need to make sure you're at a save point at the end of a mission before the update drops, or else you'll lose some of your progress. The post specifically only mentions mid-mission save points, so everything else will be fine.

In our full review of Halo: Campaign Evolved, my colleague Brendan Lowry said:

"Campaign Evolved ultimately delivers an incredible reimagining of the original Halo, enhancing it with jaw-dropping audiovisual presentation, carefully considered gameplay and level additions, an enjoyable new three-mission story, and a suite of over three dozen collectible Skulls for tons of replay value."

It's not perfect, sure, and it literally is just the campaign with some new missions added, but overall it's pretty well executed. The next update at least will fix some of the irritations.

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Scrolling through social media recently, I stumbled on a Reel (and I'm sorry; I forgot to save it, so my apologies to its creator for not being able to link out) where a dad was explaining how he cancelled Disney+ and saved money in the long run.

But he did it by buying an Xbox One S.

When it first released, one of the killer features beyond being a slimmed-down, brick-less Xbox One was its 4K UHD Blu-Ray drive. We take it for granted now, but the Xbox One S was the first in the family to get that hardware. For $300 you got the ability to play 4K Blu-ray discs, significantly less expensive than most of the dedicated players out there.

Being an affordable 4K Blu-ray player is still one of the strengths of the Xbox One S; only now, it's generally even cheaper. Though yes, let's acknowledge before anyone says it in the comments, obviously you don't get Dolby Vision.

Seeing the aforementioned Reel made the penny drop. It could actually be a viable way to break free of the endless cycle of subscribing to streaming services and buying digital content that we now know for sure could disappear at any time.

The Xbox One S and physical media has always been a winner

The crux of the Reel that inspired this post was that buying a used Xbox One S, plus picking up their kids' favorite movies used on Blu-ray, was cheaper than a year of the Disney+ plan they were paying for.

Obviously on Disney+ there's a ton of content, but the value is only there if you're consuming it. It'd be like paying for Xbox Game Pass for a full year and playing only one game; it doesn't make sense. In this case, most of the content was never being watched, so it worked out cheaper to cancel and just buy the discs.

But Disney+ is just one service. We went from a world where breaking free of cable TV was exciting and a way to save money by only watching what we wanted without the guff. But now we're in a worse position, because the content is locked behind so many paywalls that by the time you add it all up, you may as well have just had cable.

It's frightening, frankly. Looking at my own bills, I'm subscribed to Netflix, Disney+, TNT Sports on HBO Max, Apple TV+, and Amazon Prime Video, though the latter I don't really count because Prime is worth it just for the free shipping.

But counting the first five, I'm paying at least what I used to pay for my premium TV package back before I became a 'cordcutter.' And I don't even get everything I want when I want it!

I've always been a fan of physical media. I love my games; I love my movies. Hell, I still have a stack of music cassettes and a Walkman. Today's generation may be finding this stuff for the first time; some of us never let it go.

But depending on how much you spend versus how much you actually watch, maybe it does make sense to buy the physical versions of the stuff you actually care about? At least it won't disappear.

Not owning your content isn't really the answer

If you already have an old Xbox One S spare, or even a One X or your current Xbox Series X (sorry, Series S owners), you're already in a prime position. If you don't, you can pick a used One S up right now at least fairly cheaply. Though as ever, location will have an effect on that.

Xbox also had a leg up on PlayStation, remarkably, which didn't have 4K Blu-ray capabilities on any of the PS4 lineup, despite being able to play games at 4K on the PS4 Pro.

It's a prudent thing to think of, though. There's a whole community out here of folks who like to digitize their own media with a Plex or Jellyfin server, but if you have the discs, this is far simpler.

The argument has been brought to light recently by Sony. First by removing video content from its customers' libraries that they had paid for, and then by deciding to end physical game production from 2028. When you buy digital, you have no ownership of your content.

When you buy a piece of digital content, you're buying a license to consume it. But only for as long as you're allowed to, which apparently isn't forever. At least when it's a physical item in your possession, you have the control.

I'm going to deploy my Xbox One S again

I won't be cancelling the various streaming services I subscribe to anytime soon, more's the pity. When you've got two kids who watch most of them regularly, familial bliss is the price to pay for the, well, price. That and I do enjoy some of the content on them you can't get anywhere else.

But if it's a piece of media I care about and want to truly enjoy for years to come, I already lean towards buying a Blu-ray. The quality is better, it's mine, and I can digitize all of my Blu-Ray discs on my PC and toss a copy onto my NAS.

I have been using my Xbox Series X, but I don't generally keep that in the front room attached to my 4K TV. I'd actually forgotten until thinking about this post that I still have my old Xbox One S stashed away. So it's going to be coming out of retirement to live a second life as a full-time movie box. I think I still even have a PDP Xbox remote control somewhere.

But whether it's to free yourself of the streaming services, throw a middle finger up to the digital future being forced upon us, or you just like to own your stuff, the Xbox One S is still a great value way to enjoy high-quality content. Owned, not rented.

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It's that time in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's seasonal rotation for a Reloaded refresh, and once again the big deal for many is Zombies.

Black Ops 7 Zombies is reaching its narrative conclusion as the Rex Infernus map is open for business when Season 05 Reloaded goes live on August 20 at 9am Pacific.

"As reality stands on the cusp of destruction, the crew face their ultimate challenge. Cleanse the Shadowsmith places of power, find the Warden’s inner sanctum, and put an end to his loathsome existence."

As ever, completing the main quest will bring forth your rewards. If you get it done before Directed Mode launches, you'll get a unique Calling Card that will become unavailable when it does.

Other rewards include the "Bloodthorn" Wonder Weapon skin, calling cards, and 10,000 XP. Collect all the Intel to get another Calling Card and 10,000 XP.

Widow's Wine is also back, complete with new major and minor augments to research, and a new GobbleGum, "Fully Packed," will upgrade your weapon to Pack-a-Punch level 3. So that's definitely going to come in handy.

Two new Ultra-Rarity weapons are being added to the mystery box, too, with the TR2 marksman rifle and the Olympia shotgun joining the ranks of Zombies-based gambling.

It's bittersweet for Zombies players, as this is it. The last new full map content that we're going to see for some time. Modern Warfare 4 doesn't have a Zombies mode, so for now, that's all she wrote.

Naturally Season 05 Reloaded covers all aspects of the game, not just Zombies. The PvE extraction Endgame is about to reach the end of its free-to-play run, as it'll return to being a Black Ops 7-owned (and Game Pass) exclusive when Season 05 comes to a close.

During that time, though, the Burn Run Assignment will continue to appear across Avalon. Keep tabs on your map for the skull icon for a little Forza racing in Call of Duty action. The maximum combat rating you need for any of these is only 45, too, so they're pretty accessible.

Multiplayer will see a new pinball-themed Turbo Tilt map based on Nuketown history, complete with interactive bumpers and ramps. Freerun: Descent is getting a new course, and Cranked Moshpit is back if you like a bit of that.

As for Warzone, Loaded Resurgence will be coming back for another go around. It does also get some new gameplay features, though, with the Quickdrop Kit, which reduces redeploy time in Resurgence, and a Special Delivery Drone you can shoot down in all modes to earn yourself some weapon camos.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Season 05 Reloaded goes live on August 20 at 9am Pacific.

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