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README.md

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Daily Driving Arch Linux

I am trying to use Arch Linux on my main machine for my day-to-day work.

Goals

  • Have a fast, reliable, and up-to-date PC to work with.
  • Minimize the need for fixing issues with the OS.
  • Stop distro-hopping for good (since 2010).

Logs

  • 1 month on Arch. No incident.
  • 3 months on Arch. No incident.

Principles

  • Keep the actual Arch installation as simple as possible.
  • Use Flatpaks wherever possible.
  • Use Distrobox for testing and compiling projects from GitHub or AUR.
  • Use Docker (DDEV) to set up development environments.
  • Update only on weekends.

Before install

Backup GNOME Settings

dconf dump /org/gnome/ > desktop-config

Backup App Data

  • Authenticator
  • Newsflash
  • Browser

Backup System Data

  • Fonts
  • Font Config
  • SSH
  • gitconfig
  • bashrc

Installation Process

I downloaded the latest Arch ISO and used Fedora Media Writer to create a bootable USB stick. After that, I booted from the USB.

Next, I connected my phone via a cable and enabled USB tethering. Arch Linux automatically detected the connection without any further configuration.

Before running archinstall, I made a couple of changes:

  1. Added the nameservers 8.8.8.8 and 1.1.1.1 to /etc/resolv.conf.
  2. Uncommented the parallel download option in /etc/pacman.conf.

I proceeded with a mostly default installation using archinstall, configuring the following:

  • Set country mirrors to Finland, Sweden, and Denmark.
  • Chose a Btrfs disk layout.
  • Selected the Linux and Linux LTS kernels.
  • Chose GNOME desktop as type of installation.

The installation was very quick, and I encountered no issues.

Post-install

Set the fastest mirrors:

sudo pacman -S reflector
sudo cp /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist.backup
sudo reflector -c Germany,Finland -l 10 -p https --save /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
sudo pacman -Syyu

Edit /etc/pacman.conf

  • Uncomment "Color"
  • Add "ILoveCandy"
  • Uncomment "ParallelDownloads"

Remove Stuff

sudo pacman -Rs gnome-tour  gnome-music  gnome-software gnome-connections

Restore GNOME-specific Settings

dconf load /org/gnome/ < desktop-config
gsettings set org.gnome.mutter center-new-windows true

Debian on distobox

distrobox create --name debian --image quay.io/toolbx-images/debian-toolbox:12

Bluetooth

sudo systemctl enable --now bluetooth

GNOME Optimus

sudo systemctl enable --now switcheroo-control.service 

Install GNOME Extensions

Apps & Packages

Flatpaks

Packages from Arch Repos

gnome-browser-connector gst-plugin-pipewire gst-plugins-good power-profiles-daemon switcheroo-control bash-completion git ntfs-3g mkcert tailscale distrobox bc ttf-jetbrains-mono ffmpegthumbnailer dosfstools python-pipx pacman-contrib scrcpy micro wirguard-tools php composer jdk-openjdk rsync lollypop subversion yt-dlp webp-pixbuf-loader kid3-common firefox otf-fira-sans otf-fira-mono plymouth inter-font ufw python-openai python-polib poedit geany geany-plugins python-nautilus python-secretstorage python-pygit2 python-dbus meld filezilla unrar yazi unzip 7zip ghostty

AUR

to set graphics mode to integrated:

sudo envycontrol -s integrated

to set graphics mode to hybrid and enable fine-grained power control:

sudo envycontrol -s hybrid --rtd3

other

pipx install spotdl
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash
sudo pacman -S docker docker-compose
sudo usermod -aG docker ${USER}
newgrp docker
sudo systemctl enable --now docker.socket

First I downloaded EAP version from the link then

sudo tar -xzf PhpStorm-*.tar.gz -C /opt

From the extracted directory run PhpStorm.sh

After loging to Jetbrains account and activing it, I created the desktop entry from Tools > Create Desktop Entry.

OR get it from AUR: phpstorm-eap

Chromium Extensions

Firefox

about:config

widget.gtk.non-native-titlebar-buttons.enabled=true

widget.use-xdg-desktop-portal.file-picker=1

media.ffmpeg.vaapi.enabled=true

Kernel Parameters

cd /boot/loader/entries

edit entry and add: quiet splash

Maintenance

Timeshift

backing up

Update Once Each Weekend

  • Check the Arch Linux website to see if any manual intervention is needed.
  • Perform a Timeshift backup.
  • Backup Files to an external HDD.
  • update the system with sudo pacman -Syu and reboot.