Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) lets me do what I used to do in college: have Windows and Linux on the same machine. In 1999, that mean dual booting. Hypervisors everywhere and increased computing power mean today, well, I just run a VM, without even knowing I’m running one.
Docker Started It All
When WSL first came out, I read up on the topic, but never really stepped into it in earnest. At the time, I had no real use for a Linux environment on my desktop. As my home lab grew and I dove into the world of Kubernetes, I started to use Linux systems more.
With that, my familiarity with, and love of, the command line started to come back. Sure, I use Powershell a lot, but there’s nothing more nerdy than running headless Linux servers. What really threw me back into WSL was some of the ELT work I did at my previous company.
Diving In
It was much easier to get the various Python tools running in Linux, including things like the Anaconda virtual environment manager. At first, I was using Windows to clone and edit the files using VS Code. Through WSL, I accessed the files using the /mnt/ paths in Ubuntu to get to my drives.
In some reading, I came across the guide for using VS Code with WSL. It describes how to use VS Code to connect to WSL as a remote computer and edit the files “remotely.” Which sounds weird because it’s just a VM, but it’s still technically remote.
With VS Code setup to access remotely, I stopped using the /mnt/ folders and started cloning repositories within the WSL Ubuntu instance itself.
Making It Pretty
I am a huge fan of a pretty command line. I have been using Oh My Posh as an enhancement to Powershell and Powershell Core for some time. However, Oh My Posh is meant to be used for any shell, so I got to work on installing it in WSL.
As it turns out, in this case, I did use the /mnt mount path in order to share my Oh My Posh settings file between my Windows profile and the WSL Ubuntu box. In this way, I have the same Oh My Posh settings, regardless of whether I’m using Windows Powershell/Powershell Core or WSL Ubuntu.
Bringing It All Together
How can I get to WSL quickly? Well, through Windows Terminal! Windows Terminal supports a number of different prompts, including the standard command prompt, Powershell, and Powershell Core. It also lets you start a WSL session via a Terminal Profile.
This integration means my Windows Terminal is now my “go to” window for most tasks, whether in WSL or on my local box.
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