Linux Environment Setup
My Arch Linux + Hyprland setup journey.
The Migration From Windows
I was normalized and used to Microslop just working out of the box with a lot of ads, but since i got into the world of security i had to learn Linux hands on.
So instead of creating a virtual machine like a normal person, I nuked my system and replaced it with Arch Linux.
At first I used the archinstall script which does the automation for installing Arch Linux, with all of the steps and options organized and automated.
I chose KDE Plasma as the desktop environment. Since it was similar to Windows I had no issue operating it until it died (Who expected).
NVIDIA apparently dropped the support for old cards which included mine:
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB [Discrete]I thought I did something wrong because one system update got my screen resolution weird (NVIDIA), I nuked the system to then manually install Arch Linux.
I then had to the driver for my GPU in which 1 person updates!
I strongly recommend watching Bread on Penguins, for general Linux content as well.
Linux Customization
After having the fun part of my system dying, I chose once again to go to the deep end by having a window manager hyprland instead of what i was used to.
Since using hyprland , which focuses on minimalism and key shortcuts , I felt that anything that I did via my computer got way faster.
Having a window manager is great and then starts the fun part. If we want to look at more information at all times (like a bar), there are plenty of options to choose from and customize greatly.
I chose waybar - https://github.com/alexays/waybar
Waybar Customization
Since waybar is very simple and minimal in their approach , I chose them.
I have created a YouTube video from start to the end of the progression, explaining all the details: https://youtu.be/BGz4XBW0zeY?si=180AO67cqbaWU7Zm
I have also used pywal to generate a color pallet every time I change the wallpaper and then apply the colors to waybar.
Example:
window#waybar .modules-right {
background: alpha(@background, 0.75);
padding: 0 10px;
border-radius: 10px;
border: 2px solid alpha(@color4, 0.7);
color: @foreground;
}Waybar Custom Scripts
Since I wanted to customize waybar to the fullest, I created 3 bash scripts which work together:
waybar/scripts/mpd-heart-toggle.sh
waybar/scripts/is_in_playlist.sh
waybar/scripts/mpd-waybar.shIn essence, they are a music control center that is always in view (In waybar) as a custom module:
- Via mouse scrolls on the module I can go to the next or previous song.
- Via the heart module I can add or remove a song to a specific playlist.
All via interaction of
mpd(Music Player Daemon).
The project’s GitHub: https://github.com/MichaelMarkovsky/waybar-mpd-module
Shell Scripts
Since I started using Arch Linux, I wanted to keep my music local and independent from paid streaming services.
I also wanted to experiment and learn more about Shell Scripts , so i have written a shell script that utilizes yt-dlp to efficiently download music from YouTube Music.
You can check it out in my GitHub: https://github.com/MichaelMarkovsky/getmusic
I also had to run a full stack project and written a shell script which runs a cool animation , does initialization and lunches kitty sessions (like tmux) with 4 windows, 2 tabs to have quick access to code, database view, docker compose view and server logs.
You can check it out in my GitHub: https://github.com/MichaelMarkovsky/workflow-example I also created a YouTube video explaining the code: https://youtu.be/ZGD9FBcYSb0?si=VpiNm1QnV5CM_0QK
Its those little things which make Linux so powerful, to know your system and exactly what you do with it. - Total Control
Dot files
A lot of your packages that you install have configurations which you could edit and style applications to your taste.
Usually its path is : /home/{USERNAME}/.config
After you have made your PC yours, you can save all of your dot files and reuse them in another computer easily.
For example I installed Arch Linux on my laptop, downloaded or copied some of the files, edited some of the configs so that I could see battery and so on , and that is it.
My dotfiles: https://github.com/MichaelMarkovsky/my-dotfiles
Conclusion
Having total control of my system is awesome and making it look and feel exactly as I want reminds me of drawing or building a house in Minecraft, I love it.
I will create later on more configs to addition and will share them to the community,once more.
I am proud to also flex and share:
-` dragon@nexus
.o+` ------------
`ooo/ OS: Arch Linux x86_64
`+oooo: Host: Z170X-Gaming 3
`+oooooo: Kernel: Linux 7.0.9-arch1-1
-+oooooo+: Uptime: 3 hours, 29 mins
`/:-:++oooo+: Packages: 1240 (pacman)
`/++++/+++++++: Shell: bash 5.3.9
`/++++++++++++++: Display (2460G5): 1920x1080 in 24",60hz
`/+++ooooooooooooo/` WM: Hyprland 0.55.2 (Wayland)
./ooosssso++osssssso+` Cursor: Adwaita
.oossssso-````/ossssss+` Terminal: kitty 0.46.2
-osssssso. :ssssssso. Terminal Font: MononokiNF-Regular (11pt)
:osssssss/ osssso+++. CPU:Intel(R)Core(TM)i7-6700(8)@ 4.00 GHz
/ossssssss/ +ssssooo/- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
`/ossssso+/:- -:/+osssso+- Memory: 4.45 GiB / 15.56 GiB (29%)
`+sso+:-` `.-/+oso: Swap: 0 B / 24.00 GiB (0%)
`++:. `-/+/ Disk (/): 39.01 GiB/48.91GiB(80%)-ext4
.` `/ Disk (/home):345.05GiB/841.01GiB(41%)ex4
Local IP (enp9s0): 192.168.1.180/24
Locale: en_US.UTF-8Archlinux@dragon 7.0.9-arch1-1 has been installed for 4m 9d 10h 29m 33s.Thanks for reading!