arch-base

This repository is a post-installation setup script for Arch Linux that installs and configures my preferred packages to create a sleek and approachable desktop experience.

Prerequisites

• You will need a fresh installation of Arch Linux.
• You should be comfortable navigating a terminal and using text editors like Vim or nano.

Installation

On a newly installed Arch Linux environment clone this repository:

$ sudo pacman -S git
$ git clone https://github.com/nrobinson2000/arch-base
$ cd arch-base

Before running install.sh, read through the script with your text editor and verify that you are content with the changes that it will make. To accept the script, uncomment the DOTFILES_AGREE="true" line in install.sh.

After accepting, run the script with the following:

$ ./install.sh

The script can take around 15-20 minutes to complete. After the script finishes, reboot your system and you should be presented with a graphical login window.

Useful shortcuts

Here are some of the keyboard shortcuts I use most often:

Launchers

• SUPER - Open the Cinnamon menu
• SUPER + ENTER - Open a new terminal
• ALT + SPACE - Open the Albert launcher

System

• CTRL + ALT + L - Lock the screen
• CTRL + ALT + END - Suspend

Workspaces/Multi-Monitor

• SUPER + ARROW - Snap/tile a window
• CTRL + ALT + ARROW - Move between workspaces
• SHIFT + CTRL + ALT + ARROW - Move a window to a different workspace
• SHIFT + SUPER + ARROW - Move a window to a different monitor

Usage tips (WIP)

Here is some advice for maintaining and using the system:

Package management

• Check for package updates regularly with the yay command.
• When installing unofficial packages, use the Arch User Repository with yay rather than snaps or flatpaks.

Chromium

• To improve the appearance of Chromium, right-click on the top of the window and click Use system title bar and borders.
• Install an adblocker like uBlock Origin to greatly improve your browsing experience.

Listening to Youtube

• The script will install ytfzf, a tool to search for and watch Youtube videos from the terminal. To listen to only the audio, the alias ytm is provided. This is incredibly useful for listening to music videos on Youtube while working because you won't be distracted by the Youtube website. For example, to find cyberpunk music:

$ ytm cyberpunk mix

Overview

DE: Cinnamon 4.8.6
WM: Mutter (Muffin)
WM Theme: Adapta-Nokto (Adapta-Nokto-Eta)
Theme: Adapta-Nokto-Eta [GTK2/3]
Icons: Papirus-Dark [GTK2/3]
Terminal: gnome-terminal

TODO

• Make README more eyecatching
• Document more shortcuts and tips