Wsl Tutorial Page

technology/wsl/wsl.md

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+# Windows Subsystem for Linux \(WSL\)
+
+[Back to Docs](/docs/)
+
+Virtual Machines are invaluable for executing code in isolated environments, or sandboxing, but they can be very resource intensive and may waste large amounts of storage space. Some projects do not require such an isolated perfect simulation of an environment.
+
+Windows Subsystem for Linux is a compatibility layer made by Microsoft to allow Linux programs to be run on Windows. Its main components are the ability to run binaries (compiled programs) made for Linux, a Bash shell, and a Linux file system. This Windows feature that allows for running a Linux environment on a Windows computer with much greater efficiency than Virtual Machines.
+
+## Installing WSL
+
+Microsoft has made it so that WSL can be enabled using one command.
+
+The below command must be run in a Powershell terminal with admin priviledges.
+
+To open an admin terminal: press the Windows key, search for powershell or terminal, and select the run as administrator option for it.
+
+Powershell command:
+
+```powershell
+wsl --install
+```
+
+This should result in wsl being installed along with an Ubuntu linux distribution. Other distributions, if desired, can be searched for with the following Powershell command:
+
+```powershell
+wsl --list --online
+```
+
+If the desired distribution is in this list, then it's name can be entered into the following command to install it:
+
+```powershell
+wsl --install -d <DistroName>
+```
+
+## Using WSL
+
+Now, installed Linux distributions should be searchable as installed programs on the host Windows system. Alternatively, Windows Terminal can be used to connect.
+
+The terminal that the new Ubuntu install will use (the terminal given when lauching the WSL distribution) is Bash. If needed, more information on how use Bash can be found through internet searches or asking a sub-lead or other returning team member for help.
+
+## Conveniently Using WSL With VSCode
+
+VSCode, a popular IDE that is recommended for programming on Multirotor, has [an extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl) that allows it to run programs through the Linux distribution and edit code files stored in the Linux instance.
+
+## References
+
+- [Microsoft WSL Documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/)
+- [WSL VSCode Extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl)