My laptop config

This is supposed to run from a local salt-minion install, using salt-call in a masterless setup. Based on a clean Debian Bookworm netinst installation, I'm using this to provision my work setup on a Dell XPS13 and my home PC. I am currently running this on a 9310 model, unfortunately the newer ones are terrible, and my custom-built Ryzen 9.

Among other things, this config will install:

• Gnome
• Most important apps:
  • Firefox
  • Thunderbird
  • Spotify
  • Slack
  • Albert (my favorite launcher),
  • Enpass
  • Yubikey support
• Most important Firefox extensions (use about:debugging to find their IDs if you want to add more):
  • uBlock,
  • uMatrix,
  • Enpass,
  • German dictionary,
  • Multi-account containers
  • GDPR Content-O-Matic
• Enforces Firefox sanitization on closing the browser and other settings.
• Some other available applications include:
  • Discord
  • OBS
  • Airtame
  • Starship prompt
  • Steam
  • Inkscape
  • IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate
  • VSCode
  • Zoom
  • Xerox printer drivers
  • GIMP
  • VLC
  • Logitech camera controls for Brio webcams

Getting to Netinst

Download the Debian Netinst ISO. Then install the minimal system. I like using the text mode installer and I partition like this:

• 512MB EFI
• 512MB EXT4 /boot
• Remainder is dm-crypt encrypted volume with LVM (start by configuring the encrypted partition in the text mode installer, then add LVM and a volume group vg0)
  • 90GB EXT4 vg0-root /root
  • 16GB SWAP vg0-swap ---
  • 256GB EXT4 vg0-home /home

After booting into the minimal system under Bookworm, your wifi will have been configured in /etc/network/interfaces. Gnome will later use NetworkManager, which will not manage network adapters listed in /etc/network/interfaces. So after the first run of salt-call, you'll have to remove the static configuration by manually editing it.

apt install --no-install-recommends ca-certificates wget git
git clone https://github.com/jdelic/saltshaker-laptop
cd saltshaker-laptop
./configure.sh

# remove static interface config so NetworkManager can take over
vi /etc/network/interfaces

Important Gnome Extensions

These are installed automatically by this salt config, but I find them useful and you should know. You can install them from Extension Manager:

• Frippery Move Clock (moves the clock to the right where it belongs)
• Vertical overview (because vertically stacked virtual desktops are much more sensible)
• Tray Icons: Reloaded (no idea why Gnome tries to remove them... so much software still uses them)
  • Make sure to change the settings to allow like 10 or so icons
• No Overview At Start-up (with Albert as launcher the default is just annoying)

Important Gnome Settings changed by this config

This config installs a autostart script that changes the following Gnome settings:

1. Add keyboard shortcut for Albert to launch albert toggle on META+X.
2. Change "Navigation"->"Switch Applications" to "disabled" and "Switch Windows" to "Alt+Tab"
3. On Gnome Tweaks set the clock to show calendar weeks and the date
4. Configure the Gnome extensions, setting the keyboard shortcuts for vertical desktops and configuring the tray icons size and position

Which Albert Plugins to Enable?

I commonly use

• Applications
• Calculator
• Python
• System
  • I rename "Poweroff" to "Shutdown"
• Terminal

Changes to be made to the system after ./configure.sh is complete

These are changes that this salt configuration currently can't do for you. Here is my personal "post-install todo list":

1. Zoom: Change enableMiniWindow to false in ~/.config/zoomus.conf.
2. Firefox: Enable the built-in dark theme in Firefox
3. Firefox: Enable devtools.netmonitor.persistlog in about:config
4. Firefox: Import uMatrix config
5. Firefox: Remove spacers from Firefox toolbar config
6. Firefox: Enable extensions to run in private mode (this can't be automated)
7. Create Enpass service account and login
8. Activate IntelliJ IDEA, Slack, and Spotify
9. Projects: Install ollama

Windows VM notes

Installing a Windows 10 or 11 VM with TPM:

virt-install -n "win-vm" \
    --memory=16384 --cpu=host -vcpus=6 --pm="suspend_to_mem=on,suspend_to_disk=on" \
    --disk="path=/dev/gen5/win-payoneer,device=disk,bus=virtio" \
    -c /tmp/win10_2023H2.iso --disk="path=/tmp/virtio-win.iso,device=cdrom" \
    --features kvm_hidden=on,smm=on \
    --tpm backend.type=emulator,backend.version=2.0,model=tpm-tis \
    --boot loader=/usr/share/OVMF/OVMF_CODE_4M.secboot.fd,loader_ro=yes,loader_type=pflash,nvram_template=/usr/share/OVMF/OVMF_VARS_4M.ms.fd,loader_secure=yes \
    --graphics=spice \
    --video model.type=xml,model.vram=65536,model.vgamem=65536

Make sure to install the latest of these:

• SPICE client for Windows VMs
• VirtIO drivers for Windows VMs