> It always seemed strange to me that people would rather use WSL than the real thing when Windows doesn't bring much advantage.

Windows brings lots of advantage to some things (including interfacing with the large number of people who rely on people having software that works only or best on Windows; in anything other than very tech-focussed firms this probably includes your employer, and even in such firms it often includes your customers, which can matter a lot even in tech roles), and not switching between physical machines or rebooting between different tasks brings advantages.