# Set Up Ubuntu in WSL 2

I regularly use Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL 2, the second generation that is based on virtualization) for personal projects and work. My typical use cases include:

* Software Development (C, Fortran, Python)
* Parallel Programming (MPI, OpenMP)
* Scientific Data Analysis and Visualization (Python)

I prefer Debian-based Linux distributions (e.g., Debian, Ubuntu).

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1. Install WSL 2 and a Linux distribution of your choice directly via command line.

    wsl --list --online
    wsl --install Ubuntu-24.04 --location "D:\WSL2\Ubuntu-24.04" --no-launch

Specify a custom installation path (e.g., `D:\WSL2\Ubuntu-24.04`) via `--location` to save space on `C:\`.

2. Upgrade and install packages.

    sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:kisak/turtle

    sudo apt update
    sudo apt upgrade -y
    sudo apt install -y \
        binutils build-essential gcc g++ gfortran autoconf automake libtool gdb \
        diffstat diffutils git git-lfs make patch patchutils pkgconf \
        bash-completion coreutils less man-db perl procps psmisc python3 python3-pip python3-venv tcsh time tmux vim \
        bind9-dnsutils ca-certificates curl hostname iputils-* ncat ndiff netcat-openbsd nmap rsync ssh traceroute wget \
        bzip2 gzip lz4 unzip xz-utils zip zstd \
        mesa-utils qt6-wayland x11-apps x11-utils xauth xterm

    CMAKE_VERSION="3.31.12"
    wget -O "CMake-${CMAKE_VERSION}.tar.gz" "https://github.com/Kitware/CMake/releases/download/v${CMAKE_VERSION}/cmake-${CMAKE_VERSION}-linux-x86_64.tar.gz"
    sudo tar -xf "CMake-${CMAKE_VERSION}.tar.gz" -C "/usr/local" --no-same-owner --strip-components=1

Some [platform dependencies](https://doc.qt.io/qt-6/linux-requirements.html) are required for enabling the [`QtAgg` backend](https://matplotlib.org/stable/users/explain/figure/backends.html) in `matplotlib`. It draws figures much faster than the basic `TkAgg` backend.

3. Install [Miniforge](https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge/releases/latest) (Mambaforge and Miniforge have converged and are now identical!).

    wget "https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge/releases/latest/download/Miniforge3-$(uname)-$(uname -m).sh"
    bash "Miniforge3-$(uname)-$(uname -m).sh" -b

    miniforge3/bin/conda init bash
    miniforge3/bin/mamba shell init --shell bash

Log out and log in again. Then,

* Do not activate the `base` environment automatically.

    conda config --set auto_activate false

* Update the `base` environment.

    mamba update conda mamba
    mamba update --all

* Set up additional [Conda Environments](https://hackmd.io/@stargazerwang/SJOFRPT01x).

4. Set up [Dot Files](https://hackmd.io/@stargazerwang/HkYFVktlY).
5. Install [Docker Engine](https://hackmd.io/@stargazerwang/S1Wao5ZVn).
6. Install [Lmod](https://hackmd.io/@stargazerwang/ryOsp7F4T).
7. Install [Intel oneAPI Compilers](https://hackmd.io/@stargazerwang/B1g55BLpA).