Essential configurations before desktop components getting involved.

Series Index

  1. Linux Bootstrap Installation
  2. Linux A/B System Updates via BTRFS Snapshot
  3. Linux Post Installation
  4. Linux Desktop: Sway, Labwc, GUI Apps

Preface

This guide is distro independent, tested on Arch and Fedora.

Default Editor

(root)# echo "export EDITOR=/usr/bin/nvim" > /etc/profile.d/default-editor.sh

You could replace nvim with whatever you like.

Console Fonts

Install package:

Arch: terminus-fonts
Fedora: terminus-fonts-console

(root)# echo "FONT=ter-120b" >> /etc/vconsole.conf

Full font list:

Arch: ls /usr/share/kbd/consolefonts/
Fedora: ls /usr/lib/kbd/consolefonts/

Change font temporally: setfont <font_name>

Ref: Linux_console#Fonts

PipeWire

Install PipeWire related packages:

Arch: pipewire pipewire-alsa pipewire-pulse pipewire-jack wireplumber
Fedora: pipewire pipewire-utils

Bluetooth

Install Bluetooth related packages:

Arch: bluez bluez-utils
Fedora: bluez bluez-tools

Enable systemd service: systemctl enable --now bluetooth.service.

Printer

Install CUPS related packages:

Arch, Fedora: cups cups-pdf

Enable systemd service: systemctl enable --now cups.service.

The CUPS server can be fully administered through the web interface, and there’s documentation for adding printer http://localhost:631/help/admin.html.

GPU Drivers

To choose GPU for Linux, AMD is still the prefered option for stability and performance, but for daily use, it doesn’t matter. I’ve learned that Nvidia driver is getting solid enough these days, and Intel is catching up too.

Install mesa and vulkan related packages:

Arch AMD: mesa lib32-mesa vulkan-radeon lib32-vulkan-radeon
Arch Intel: mesa lib32-mesa vulkan-intel lib32-vulkan-intel intel-media-driver
Arch Nvidia: nvidia-open for GPU newer than GTX 1650

For Fedora, need to enable RPM Fusion then install freeworld packages:

(root)# dnf install https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-{free,nonfree}-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm 
# for AMD
(root)# dnf install mesa-va-drivers-freeworld
# for Intel
(root)# dnf install intel-media-driver
# for Nvidia newer than GTX 1650
(root)# dnf install akmod-nvidia

Ref: Multimedia on Fedora , NVIDIA on Fedora

Use mpv to test hardware acceleration , with command mpv --hwdec=auto <videofile>

Disable Watchdogs

This setting is for improving performance.

Check for a hardware watchdog module:

(root)# lsmod | grep wdt

Add to kernel module blacklist:

(root)# cat > /etc/modprobe.d/nowdt.conf << EOB
blacklist iTCO_wdt
blacklist sp5100_tco
blacklist intel_oc_wdt
EOB

Console Caps Ctrl

Remap CapsLock to Ctrl for console.

(root)# cd /usr/share/kbd/keymaps/i386/qwerty
(root)# gzip -dc < us.map.gz > usa.map
(root)# sed -i '/^keycode[[:space:]]58/c\keycode 58 = Control' usa.map
(root)# echo "KEYMAP=usa" >> /etc/vconsole.conf

Ref: Linux_console/Keyboard_configuration#Creating_a_custom_keymap