This repository is now managed primarily through a Nix flake for NixOS and Home Manager.
Clone the repository with submodules:
git clone --recursive https://github.com/otakutyrant/dotfiles.git /etc/nixos/dotfiles
cd /etc/nixos/dotfilesBuild the bundled host configuration:
sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#nixos
passwd otakutyrantThe NixOS configuration creates the otakutyrant user, enables flakes,
NetworkManager, Docker, PipeWire, fcitx5, NVIDIA graphics, LightDM, and i3.
If the system user already exists and Home Manager is installed:
home-manager switch --flake .#otakutyrantHome Manager links the checked-in dotfile directories into $HOME. The helper
in nixos/home.nix recursively exposes files from directories such as XDG,
i3, Kitty, Neovim, Nushell, Systemd, and Tmux.
System options live in nixos/configuration.nix. User packages live in
nixos/home-packages.nix, with local package derivations under nixos/pkgs.
Find a client which has highly refined default configuration so you do not override them too much (Neovim works well that it changes many vim default options). When overriding them, comment why you do that.
As for Neovim. If you can use third-part tool to handle files, use them rather than install an corresponding plugin, like useless Black plugin because you can execute external commands in Ex command as :!black %. Tinkering Neovim is ceaseless.
nix fmt formats Nix and Lua files through the formatter declared in
flake.nix. nix run .#check runs the same format checks plus Nix evaluation,
Lua diagnostics, and Nushell source/parser checks. Nushell is checked but not
formatted because nufmt has corrupted valid scripts in this repository.
.pre-commit-config.yaml wires these commands into pre-commit.
Before the introduction, let us make sure what split means. Amazingly, "split window horizontally/vertically" is terribly ambiguous in Linux. As an ESL learner, I decide to focus in the verb "split" itself. By instinct, if I split an object, I cut it through a horizontal line. But some other people may focus in the object itself. In other words, when the object is split "horizontally", it becomes two objects, distributed in horizontal direction. No wonder some Linux software will split objects horizontally in two different ways, because they focus in either verb or noun.
To be clear. In the dotfiles, "split window horizontally" means to cut it through a horizontal line. However sometimes it is necessary to distribute windows horizontally or vertically. I won't use "split" but "distribute". I think "distribute all windows horizontally" is unambiguous. Due to some Linux software have a contract meaning of "split horizontally" from their reserved keywords in configuration, or even use "split" and "distribute" interchangeably, I will clarify them by comments, especially in i3.
Now image you have multiple windows in your screen and you are a heavy Vim user. You have a master key, used to combine with any key to manage tabs and windows. Tabs are usually numbered, and a tab contains multiple windows. Windows can be split, distributed, moved between tabs, and killed.
When you want to jump the specific tab, just hit master+num.
When you want split a window vertically or horizontally, hit master+v or master+s respectively. If you want distribute all windows in the current tab instantly, hit master+| or master+-, the meaning of bar and hash symbols are enough obvious.
You would like to move focus between windows via master+hjkl.
When you want to kill a windows, hit master+q.
Now time to make the windows management hierarchical! In Linux, I use a windows manager, i3, to handles multiple GUI clients, including a virtual terminal, kitty. In turn, I use kitty to handles multiple CLI clients, including shells and an editor, Neovim. Eventually, I use Neovim to handles multiple files. The windows management of such three hierarchies are almost consistent, list as below:
| Hierarchies | name | What do they manage? | What do master keys call in them? | binded key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Manager | i3 | GUI clients | $mod | super |
| Virtual Terminal | kitty | CLI clients | N/A | alt |
| Editor | Neovim | Files | learder key | space |
| Multiplixer | tmux | Remote sessions | the prefix key | ctrl-w |
| name | What do tabs call in them? | How to allocate a new tab? | How to jump to a tab? |
|---|---|---|---|
| i3 | workspace | N/A | super+num |
| kitty | tab | alt+n | alt+num |
| Neovim | tabpage | space+n | space+num |
| tmux | window | ctrl-w+n | ctrl-w+num |
| name | What do windows call in them? | How to move focus between windows? | How to split a window horizontally or vertically? | How to distribute windows horizontally or vertically? | How to kill a window? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| i3 | window | super+hjkl | super+s or super+v, | super+- or super+|, | super+q |
| kitty | window | alt+hjkl | alt+s or alt+v | alt+- or alt+| | alt+q |
| Neovim | window | space+hjkl | space+s or space+v | N/A | space+q |
| tmux | pane | ctrl-w+hjkl | ctrl-w+s or ctrl-w+v | N/A | ctrl-w+q |
Note:
- kitty does not define master key, but you can use it anyway.
- Creating tabs are unnecessary in i3, ten tabs are perpetually allocated to begin with.
- In kitty, as far as I know, when you create a window, it always is a shell.
- When you split in i3, no gap will be shown unless a new GUI client is launched. See i3/i3#5546
- - is a minus symbol and | bar symbol.
- If you want to adjust the border between windows, use mouse. All hierarchies support it.
- It seems that tmux can distribute windows too. But I have no interest to figure out how.
- i3 and kitty can distribute windows layout to tabbed, stacked, and so on. Explorer it by yourself.
- Although I said windows can be moved between tabs, I do not list related keymaps in the table.
Do you notice the relation between master keys? They are distributed in the left-bottom part of my Happy Hacking Keyboard exactly. How well organized they are.
Haplessly, kitty cannot handle remote sessions so far. So though I dislike tmux, it is still maintained as alternative to kitty in the dotfiles and listed in the table.
I keep files in XDG locations when the application expects them there.
Configuration files should live under $XDG_CONFIG_HOME when possible. In this
repository, that usually means putting them under XDG/.config, which Home
Manager links into ~/.config.
Default application choices belong in mimeapps.list.
Personal commands live in $HOME/.local/bin, although XDG_BIN_HOME is not
specified so far.
Desktop files are also XDG data files:
XDG/.local/share/applications/*.desktopdefines launcher entries for menus androfi -show drun.XDG/.config/autostart/*.desktopdefines applications started bydexduring login.
Use static desktop files here when the command is stable, such as
Exec=systemctl suspend. If a desktop entry needs Nix interpolation, such as a
specific ${pkgs.foo}/bin/foo path, define it with Home Manager instead.
Personal commands that should appear in rofi can be paired with a desktop file.
For example, XDG/.local/bin/screenshot_delay.nu is exposed through
XDG/.local/share/applications/screenshot-delay.desktop.
Session environment variables are managed in nixos/home.nix.
I tried to migrate to Wayland but terminated, because Nvidia support is not good enough yet. Blame Nvidia!
This repository targets NixOS with Home Manager. System options live in
nixos/configuration.nix, while user-facing development and GUI packages are
organized in nixos/home-packages.nix. Package names there are Nixpkgs
attribute names, not names from another distribution.
I noticed a trend that traditional GNU CLI clients are replaced by high-performance Rust alternatives, like find is replaced by fd, grep by ripgrep or fzf, less by page and so on.
There are some related configuration. Ignore them if you do not live in China.
Don't worry, only infants make choice, while adults want the whole enchilada! Just install all of them and random pick one every time you launch the client. You can consult how I do that in my Neovim themes. When fate plays its hand, a captivating theme will gracefully unfurl.
The random theme mechanism of kitty, i3, and so on is working in progress, but no guaranteed.