Journey

Setup

Installing WSL and Setting up Ubuntu

1. To install Ubuntu 24.04 for WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux):
   • Open PowerShell as an administrator and type:

     wsl --install -d Ubuntu-24.04
     

   • After the installation, set Ubuntu 24.04 as the default WSL distribution:

     wsl --set-default Ubuntu-24.04
     

Cloning Repositories and Installing Necessary Tools

1. Cloning the portfolio repository:
   • In your home directory:

     cd
     mkdir nighthawk
     cd nighthawk
     git clone https://github.com/nighthawkcoders/portfolio_2025.git
     

2. Running setup scripts:
   • Navigate to the script directory and activate the Ubuntu setup script:

     cd nighthawk/portfolio_2025/scripts
     ./activate_ubuntu.sh
     

Configuring GitHub Login

1. Setting up GitHub credentials:
   • Set your GitHub email:

     git config --global user.email "youremail@gmail.com"
     

   • Set your GitHub username:

     git config --global user.name "yourGHID"
     

   • Verify the configuration:

     git config --global --list
     

Setting Up Your Project Repository

1. Cloning the student project repository:
   • In the nighthawk directory:

     git clone https://github.com/Mom5MoreMins/aranya_student_2025.git
     cd aranya_student_2025
     

2. Preparing the project for development:
   • Create and activate a virtual environment:

     scripts/venv.sh
     source venv/bin/activate
     

   • Install necessary Python packages:

     pip install -r requirements.txt
     

   • List installed Jupyter kernels to ensure Python3 is available:

     jupyter kernelspec list
     

   • Install necessary Ruby gems:

     bundle install
     

   • Open the project in VS Code:

     code .
     

3. Local Server Setup:
   • After configuring the make and _config.yml files, use the make command to run a local server:

     make 
     

---

Important Commands

Linux Command Line Basics

• cd - Change directories.
• ls - List files in the current directory.
• chmod - Change permissions on files. For example:

  chmod 755 filename
  

Important Commands

Linux Command Line Basics

• cd: This command allowed me to change directories. I used it frequently to move between folders on my system.
• ls: Using this, I could list the files and directories in my current directory, which helped me see what was inside each folder.
• chmod: I learned how to change file permissions using chmod. For example, the command chmod 755 filename gives:
  • 7 (rwx): Read, write, and execute permissions for the owner.
  • 5 (r-x): Read and execute permissions for the group.
  • 5 (r-x): Read and execute permissions for others.

Bash Scripting and Editing Files

• I learned how to use Bash for running scripts, which allowed me to automate tasks.
• Used vi to edit configuration files directly from the command line. For example, running vi filename opened a file for editing.

Git Commands

• git clone: This command allowed me to clone a repository from GitHub to my local machine.
• git add: Staged changes to be committed.
• git commit: Saved the staged changes with a descriptive message.
• git push: Pushed the committed changes to my remote repository on GitHub.

Package Management with apt and sudo

• apt: Used for installing and managing software packages. For example, apt install allowed me to install necessary packages.
• sudo: Allowed me to run commands with administrative privileges, which was essential for making system-wide changes.

Takeaways and Concepts Learned

Throughout this process, I learned how to effectively use the Linux command line for managing files, navigating directories, and setting permissions. I also became familiar with Git for version control, basic Bash scripting, and setting up and maintaining virtual environments for Python development.

Some struggles I encountered included understanding file permissions initially. The numeric system for setting permissions took some time to fully grasp. Additionally, I faced minor issues with missing dependencies when setting up the project environment, but I was able to troubleshoot those by reading error messages and installing the necessary packages.

Overall, this setup process provided me with a solid foundation in using command-line tools and version control, as well as in managing development environments.