I wanted to create a VM that has the exact same programs installed as my host operating system. I'm using Ubuntu which makes it very easy to do.

So here's how you do it: export all of the packages that are installed, import all the packages, and install.

Export

dpkg --get-selections > installed.log

Import

dpkg --set-selections < installed.log dselect install

Make sure you have the appropriate permissions or else make sure you run as "sudo" user.

External Links

http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/linux-get-list-installed-software-reinstallation-restore.html - The original blog post I found this information.