~/dotfiles for Debian 9 and WMs

This repository uses stow hierarchy: clone it into $HOME and use stow --no-folding <package> to create the symlinks automatically for each package. For more information about stow read its documentation: stow(8).

Color schemes and vim/neovim files are not into this repository. Find them into:

• Color schemes: atomic
• Vim/neovim: vimrc

Configuration files:

- Distro      : Debian
- WM          : i3-wm
- Menu        : rofi
- Shell       : zsh
- Terminal    : urxvt
- Multiplexer : tmux
- Font        : Terminess Powerline
- CVS         : git
- Editor      : vim, neovim
- Files       : ranger, mediainfo
- IRC         : irssi
- Email       : mutt
- Music       : cmus
- Video       : mpv
- Images      : feh
- Reader      : apvlv, zathura
- Browser     : w3m
- Interface   : surfraw
- Bittorrent  : transmission-cli

Setup

Debian

Add the user to the sudoers file

1. Enter to the root mode: su - (then, root password)

2. Edit the file /etc/sudoers:

sudo visudo -f /etc/sudoers

3. Add this line after ROOT ALL (ALL:ALL) ALL:

<user> ALL (ALL:ALL) ALL

Disable autologin on LXDE:

1. Edit the following file:

sudo nano /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf

2. Find the line #autologin-user=.

3. Uncomment the line and add the user:

autologin-user=<user>

Enable 'unstable' (sid) repositories

1. Edit the file /etc/apt/sources.list

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

2. Add this two lines at the end:

deb http://ftp.es.debian.org/debian/ sid main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.es.debian.org/debian/ sid main contrib non-free

3. Change the preferences. Create the following file:

sudo nano /etc/apt/preferences

4. Add these lines:

Package: *
Pin: release a=stable
Pin-Priority: 900

Package: *
Pin: release a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 300

5. Finally, update:

sudo apt-get update

i3-wm

Make sure you have installed the following libraries, which are a requirement to run my setup properly:

• compton: compositor based on xcompmgr with some improvements.
• dunst: a customizable and lightweight notification-daemon.
• libnotify-bin: a program to send desktop notifications.
• lxappearance: customize look and feel (lxde-native).
• lxpolkit: authorization manager for the desktop.
• pulseaudio-utils: to run pulse audio controls from the keyboard.
• rofi: a window switcher, run dialog and dmenu replacement.
• rxvt-unicde-256color: VT102 emulator for the X window system.
• udiskie: automounter for removable media (flash drives).
• volumeicon-alsa: volume icon for the system tray.
• wicd: Wired and wireless network connection manager.
• xbacklight: adjust backlight brightness using RandR extension.
• xsel: command-line tool to manipulate the X selection.

Optional:

• arandr: can be useful to generate xrandr *.sh scripts.
• libfm-pref-apps and exo-preferred-applications: the name is self-descriptive.
• redshift: adjusts the color temperature of your screen according to your surroundings. This may help your eyes hurt less or reduce the risk for delayed sleep phase syndrome if you are working in front of the screen at night.

Useful tools: uuid, fbreader, simplescreenrecorder, translate-shell, trash-cli

Zsh

Install it from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install zsh

Install Oh My Zsh following the instructions from its page.

Via curl:

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/robbyrussell/oh-my-zsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

Via wget:

sh -c "$(wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/robbyrussell/oh-my-zsh/master/tools/install.sh -O -)"

Atomic theme must be downloaded from Atomic repository.

Enable zsh-syntax-highlighting:

git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting $HOME/.syntax

Symlink the zsh settings:

cd $HOME/dotfiles && stow --no-folding zsh

Change the current shell:

$ chsh -s /usr/bin/zsh

Log out and log in to see the new shell as default.

URxvt

Install it from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install rxvt-unicode-256color

Symlink the rxvt-unicode settings:

cd $HOME/dotfiles && stow --no-folding X

Atomic color scheme is already included.

Install the scripts:

cd $HOME/dotfiles && stow --no-folding urxvt

To check for newer versions on Github:

• The script resize-font: https://github.com/simmel/urxvt-resize-font
• The script url-select: https://github.com/johntyree/urxvt-perls
• The script clipboard: https://github.com/pkkolos/urxvt-scripts
• The script unichr: https://emergent.unpythonic.net/

Tmux

Install it from the repositories:

sudo apt-get -t sid install tmux

Install the package urlview:

sudo apt-get install urlview

Symlink the tmux settings:

cd $HOME/dotfiles && stow --no-folding tmux

Git

Install it from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install git

Symlink the git settings:

cd $HOME/dotfiles && stow --no-folding git

Powerline

Clone the Powerline fonts repository:

git clone https://github.com/powerline/fonts

And install it:

cd fonts && ./install.sh.

Fontconfig

«In some distributions (e.g. Debian), Terminess Powerline is ignored by default and must be explicitly allowed. A fontconfig file is provided which enables it. Copy this file from the fontconfig directory to your home folder under ~/.config/fontconfig/conf.d (create it if it doesn't exist) and re-run fc-cache -vf». Paragraph extracted from Powerline.

FontAwesome

Install it from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install fonts-font-awesome

(Not using anymore, though).

Vim

Install it from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install vim vim-gtk3

The package vim-gtk3 adds the 'huge version' with a lot of features (+python3, +clipboard...), and the GTK3 GUI.

Neovim

Install it from the repositories:

sudo apt-get -t sid install neovim

Make sure to have python3 enabled into neovim:

:CheckHealth

Install the plugins manager vim-plug following the instructions from its repository.

My vim/neovim config files are into vimrc.

Install the plugins with the command:

:PlugInstall.

Vint

Install pip3 from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install python3-pip

Install pylint from pip3:

sudo pip3 install vint

Clang

Install clang from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install clang libclang-dev

The package libclang-dev is required on Debian.

Pylint

Install pip3 from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install python3-pip

Install pylint from pip3:

sudo pip3 install pylint

Nodejs, tern, jshint, csslint...

Install them from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install nodejs nodejs-legacy npm

Or, to have the latest nodejs...

sudo apt-get -t sid install nodejs npm

Download Node.js from https://nodejs.org.

Unzip the binary archive (v.8.9.4 in my case):

sudo mkdir /usr/lib/nodejs
sudo tar -xJvf node-v8.9.4-linux-x64.tar.xz -C /usr/lib/nodejs
sudo mv /usr/lib/nodejs/node-v8.9.4-linux-x64 /usr/lib/nodejs/node-v8.9.4

Symlink the executables:

sudo ln -s /usr/lib/nodejs/node-v8.9.4/bin/node /usr/bin/node
sudo ln -s /usr/lib/nodejs/node-v8.9.4/bin/npx /usr/bin/npx
sudo ln -s /usr/lib/nodejs/node-v8.9.4/bin/npm /usr/bin/npm

Test the installation using:

node -v
npm version

Make a directory to install global npm modules:

mkdir ~/.npm-global

Configure npm to use the new directory path:

npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'

Add the path to ~/.zshrc file:

export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH

Update the system variables:

source ~/.zshrc

Finally install the packages using npm:

npm install -g tern
npm install -g jshint
npm install -g csslint
npm install -g instant-markdown-d

W3m

Install it from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install w3m

Symlink the w3m settings:

cd $HOME/dotfiles && stow --no-folding w3m

Ranger

Install it from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install ranger

Symlink the ranger settings:

cd $HOME/dotfiles && stow --no-folding ranger

Mutt

Install it from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install mutt

Copy the mutt settings (no symlink):

cp $HOME/dotfiles/mutt/.muttrc $HOME/

Install the atomic theme for mutt:

mkdir $HOME/.mutt
git clone https://github.com/gerardbm/atomic
cp atomic/mutt/atomic.muttrc $HOME/.mutt

Cmus

Install it from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install cmus

Symlink the cmus settings:

cd $HOME/dotfiles && stow --no-folding cmus

Install the atomic theme for cmus:

git clone https://github.com/gerardbm/atomic
cp atomic/cmus/atomic.theme $HOME/.config/cmus

From cmus command line:

• Set the colorscheme: :colorscheme atomic
• Add the playlist: :add $HOME/.config/cmus/playlist.pl

Irssi

Install it from the repositories:

sudo apt-get install irssi

Create the folder first and then copy (no symlink) the irssi settings:

mkdir $HOME/.irssi && cp $HOME/dotfiles/irssi/.irssi/config $HOME/.irssi/

Copy the script to install the plugins for the first time:

cp $HOME/dotfiles/irssi/.irssi/config $HOME/.irssi/

Run it:

. ./iip.sh

Less

Less config is into a binarry file called $HOME/.less.

Compile the file $HOME/.lesskey with lesskey command to generate it.

Sources: https://www.systutorials.com/docs/linux/man/1-lesskey/#lbAE

VirtualBox

Packages for VirtualBox are not available in Debian 9. To install VirtualBox you must use the stretch-backports repository or the upstream third-party repository. More info, here: https://wiki.debian.org/VirtualBox.

Navigation

All shortcuts are vim-style (H, J, K, L + U, D) and they are configured to work without conflicts coherently between i3wm, tmux, (neo)vim et al. Explanation:

Horizontal navigation between WM workspaces, tmux windows and vim buffers only has two directions: left and right. In this case, a modifier in combination with H and L is coherent with vim-style.

Four directions navigation (e.g. i3wm windows, tmux panes, vim windows) needs four keys: for left, right, top and bottom. In this case, a modifier in combination with H, J, K, L is coherent with vim-style.

Vertical navigation to scroll up/down tmux windows, vim buffers or man pages has two directions but as well two speeds. In this case, a modifier in combination with J, K, U and D is coherent with vim-style.

These are the guidelines:

• Vim-like navigation.
• Make it intuitive.
• Reduce the keystrokes.
• Improve the workflow.

That said, it is very logical to have different modifier keys for every application:

• Super to control the windows manager (i3wm in my case).
• Alt to control the terminal multiplexer (tmux in my case).
• Control to control a specific program (vim, w3m, irssi).

Tmux and vim share Alt+{hjkl} to navigate between tmux panes and vim windows; thanks to the plugin vim-tmux-navigator.

Tmux uses a prefix key to separate all the shortcuts from the system. This idea is very convenient to avoid conflicts between shortcuts, however it implies too much keystrokes. This prefix also has some disadvantages, because it uses the default Control+b: you lose a useful readline command (backward character). Some people remap it to Control+a because it's easier to press, so they lose a useful readline command (go to the start of the line). Also, it is used into vim to increase a numeric value.

My recommendation is to use the Alt key to remap some tmux bind-keys (using the -n flag), skipping the prefix for the most used actions.

The following table shows the main workflow:

| ACTION        | I3WM          | TMUX         | VIM          |
| $mod key      | Super         | Alt          | Control      |
| ------------- | ------------- | ------------ | ------------ |
|               | (workspaces)  | (windows)    | (buffers)    |
| Next          | Ctrl+Super+l  | Ctrl+Alt+l   | Ctrl+l       |
| Previous      | Ctrl+Super+h  | Ctrl+Alt+h   | Ctrl+h       |
| Last          | Ctrl+Super+p  | Ctrl+Alt+p   | Ctrl+p Enter |
| ------------- | ------------- | ------------ | ------------ |
|               |               | (windows)    | (buffers)    |
| Up: 1 line    |               | Alt+m k      | Ctrl+k       |
| Down: 1 line  |               | Alt+m j      | Ctrl+j       |
| Up: ½ page    |               | Alt+m u      | Ctrl+u       |
| Down: ½ page  |               | Alt+m d      | Ctrl+d       |
| ------------- | ------------- | ------------ | ------------ |
|               | (windows)     | (panes)      | (windows)    |
| Focus ←       | Super+h       | Alt+h        | Alt+h        |
| Focus →       | Super+l       | Alt+l        | Alt+l        |
| Focus ↑       | Super+k       | Alt+k        | Alt+k        |
| Focus ↓       | Super+j       | Alt+j        | Alt+j        |
| Focus last    |               |              | Ctrl+w p     |
| Focus next    |               |              | Ctrl+w l     |
| Focus prev    |               |              | Ctrl+w h     |
| Focus #1      | Super+1       | Alt+1        |              |
| Focus #2      | Super+2       | Alt+2        |              |
| Focus #3      | Super+3       | Alt+3        |              |
| Focus #4      | Super+4       | Alt+4        |              |
| Focus #5      | Super+5       | Alt+5        |              |
| Focus #6      | Super+6       | Alt+6        |              |
| Focus #7      | Super+7       | Alt+7        |              |
| Focus #8      | Super+8       | Alt+8        |              |
| Focus #9      | Super+9       | Alt+9        |              |
| New terminal  | Ctrl+Super+n  | Ctrl+Alt+n   | Ctrl+t       |
| Kill active   | Ctrl+Super+j  | Ctrl+Alt+j   | Ctrl+w j     |
| Only active   |               |              | Ctrl+w o     |
| ------------- | ------------- | ------------ | ------------ |
|               | (windows)     | (panes)      | (windows)    |
| Fullscreen    | Super+f       | Alt+f        | Ctrl+f       |
| Resize ←      | Super+r h     | Alt+H        | >            |
| Resize →      | Super+r l     | Alt+L        | <            |
| Resize ↑      | Super+r k     | Alt+K        | -            |
| Resize ↓      | Super+r j     | Alt+J        | +            |
| Split v       | Super+.       | Alt+.        | Ctrl+w .     |
| Split h       | Super+-       | Alt+-        | Ctrl+w -     |
| ------------- | ------------- | ------------ | ------------ |
|               | (windows)     | (panes)      | (windows)    |
| Move to ←     | Super+H       |              | Ctrl+w H     |
| Move to →     | Super+L       |              | Ctrl+w L     |
| Move to ↑     | Super+K       | Alt+K        | Ctrl+w K     |
| Move to ↓     | Super+J       | Alt+J        | Ctrl+w J     |
| Move to last  | Super+Shift+p |              |              |
| Move to # WS  | Super+Shift+# |              |              |

Command line tools:

| ACTION        | man           | w3m          | irssi        |
| ------------- | ------------- | ------------ | ------------ |
|               | (pages)       | (tabs)       | (windows)    |
| Next          |               | Ctrl+l       | Ctrl+j       |
| Previous      |               | Ctrl+h       | Ctrl+k (1)   |
| ------------- | ------------- | ------------ | ------------ |
|               | (buffers)     | (websites)   | (buffers)    |
| Up: 1 line    | k             | k            |              |
| Down: 1 line  | j             | j            |              |
| Up: ½ page    | u             | u            | Alt+u, Alt+p |
| Down: ½ page  | d             | d            | Alt+d, Alt+n |
|               |               |              |        (2)   |

---

| ACTION        | ranger        | cmus         | mutt         |
| ------------- | ------------- | ------------ | ------------ |
|               | (files, dirs) | (playlists)  | (emails)     |
| Up: 1 line    | k             | k            | k            |
| Down: 1 line  | j             | j            | j            |
| Custom ←      | h, fold       | h, seek -5   |              |
| Custom →      | l, unfold     | l, seek +5   |              |

---

1. Irssi windows are displayed in a column (vertical) according to my setup.
2. Alt+p and Alt+n are configured by default into irssi.

Multimedia tools:

| ACTION        | apvlv         | mpv          | feh          |
| ------------- | ------------- | ------------ | ------------ |
|               | (pdfs)        | (videos)     | (images)     |
| ←             | h             | h            | h            |
| →             | l             | l            | l            |
| ↑             | k             | k            | k            |
| ↓             | j             | j            | j            |
| Zoom in       | z             | z            | z            |
| Zoom out      | Z             | Z            | Z            |
| Up: ½ page    | u             |              |              |
| Down: ½ page  | d             |              |              |

Yes, a mouse would make the life easier. And slower ;-)