Vibe Copilot installation of SageMath 10.8 on WSL Ubuntu 24.04 (Windows 11)

asked 2026-05-09 09:04:25 +0200

ortollj gravatar image

updated 2026-05-10 06:29:47 +0200

Vibe Copilot installation of SageMath 10.8 on WSL Ubuntu 24.04 (Windows 11) Version: v1.0 — May 2026

This guide provides a clean, reproducible and automated installation of:

WSL Ubuntu‑24.04 SageMath 10.8 (classical build) Jupyter Notebook & JupyterLab Automatic launcher scripts Windows shortcuts for one‑click launch Download the complete package (ZIP) Includes:

the 4 PowerShell scripts the generated WSL scripts README.txt README.md Download: https://1drv.ms/u/c/2aea96256d42cd9b/...

Contents of the ZIP forceUbuntuVersion.ps1 install-sage-Jupyter.ps1 createFile-sage_sh_scripts.ps1 createShortcut.ps1 README.txt README.html Installation — Official Steps 1. forceUbuntuVersion.ps1 — Run as Administrator This script ensures that your WSL distribution is named exactly:

Ubuntu-24.04 Run:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File <path>\forceUbuntuVersion.ps1 2. install-sage-Jupyter.ps1 — Normal PowerShell Automatically installs:

SageMath 10.8 (classical build) Python venv Jupyter Notebook JupyterLab Python dependencies Run:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File <path>\install-sage-Jupyter.ps1 3. createFile-sage_sh_scripts.ps1 — Normal PowerShell Creates two executable WSL launcher scripts:

~/bin/sage_nb.sh ~/bin/sage_lab.sh Features:

launches Sage Notebook or JupyterLab opens Microsoft Edge automatically detects the Jupyter URL starts in the current Windows working directory Run:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File <path>\createFile-sage_sh_scripts.ps1 4. createShortcut.ps1 — Normal PowerShell Creates two Windows shortcuts:

Sage Notebook.lnk Sage Lab.lnk Run:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File <path>\createShortcut.ps1 Recommended installation order forceUbuntuVersion.ps1 (Admin) install-sage-Jupyter.ps1 createFile-sage_sh_scripts.ps1 createShortcut.ps1 Then simply double‑click:

Sage Notebook.lnk Sage Lab.lnk ASCII Workflow Diagram (v1.0)

        ┌──────────────────────────────┐
        │  Windows 11 (PowerShell)     │
        └──────────────┬───────────────┘
                       │
                       ▼
        ┌──────────────────────────────┐
        │ forceUbuntuVersion.ps1       │
        │  → ensures "Ubuntu-24.04"    │
        └──────────────┬───────────────┘
                       │
                       ▼
        ┌──────────────────────────────┐
        │ install-sage-Jupyter.ps1     │
        │  → installs Sage + Jupyter   │
        └──────────────┬───────────────┘
                       │
                       ▼
        ┌──────────────────────────────┐
        │ createFile-sage_sh_scripts   │
        │  → creates nb.sh / lab.sh    │
        └──────────────┬───────────────┘
                       │
                       ▼
        ┌──────────────────────────────┐
        │ createShortcut.ps1           │
        │  → creates Windows .lnk      │
        └──────────────┬───────────────┘
                       │
                       ▼
        ┌──────────────────────────────┐
        │ Double‑click Notebook / Lab  │
        │  → Edge opens Jupyter        │
        └──────────────────────────────┘

I should clarify that the forceUbuntuVersion.ps1 step is not necessary if you can install WSL Ubuntu-24.04 or if it is already installed. This step is necessary for my Windows 11 Insider version because it implements a silly new feature where typing Ubuntu in the search bar installs the latest Ubuntu-26.04.

This change occurred while Copilot and I were finalizing the installation process (we ended up with two Ubuntu versions installed in WSL). Copilot told me that this change was introduced by Microsoft to facilitate the installation of a Linux distribution for the general public. That's why the forceUbuntuVersion.ps1 step is useful to me. This silly change may not be maintained. Furthermore, I forgot to mention that once Ubuntu is installed: Win+R -> wsl.exe -d Ubuntu-24.04 doesn't land you in the correct location within Ubuntu, and you have to use cd ~ to be in /home/userLinuxName/.

The installation with the latest version of Ubuntu (26.04) may work, but I have not tested it, because at the beginning of the installation process this version was not available in WSL.

With the help of Copilot, or rather Copilot with my help, we created this workflow. The compilation and make part takes 1 hour and 15 minutes on my 5-year-old PC. If you try it, please give me your feedback.

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Comments

After thinking about it, I believe that downloading files from an unofficial site (my OneDrive) should appears risky. Therefore, could someone certified as a SageMath developer verify (Check and modify the process if necessary) the .ps1 files and then upload this installation process to an official website?

ortollj gravatar imageortollj ( 2026-05-10 06:47:07 +0200 )edit