Developers have setups like this and some bearded dude with energy drinks instead of blood working on a 15 year old laptop with a lit cig in their teeth is still outperfoming them
I like this style of video. It reminds me all of the techtubers are just people, luke us, who dont have enough time to read all of the docs and don't magically have a working project in the span of a 15min video.
@@raulgrangeiroYou don’t need to strive for the very best - diminishing returns will kick in. But settling for something that’s “just ok” seems insane considering how much time is spent interacting with those elements.
@ That’s fine but I also think being productive is not a useful metric. You don’t necessarily type faster with an ergonomic keyboard and custom layout. But it is less effort, more effective and way more fun. Similar story with your overall environment. I will stand by the bold claim that all out-of-the-box DE experiences are pretty horrible in terms of friction.
@@RegrinderAlert Thank God we have options. I agree with the initial message from our friend: I admire the effort, but wouldn't do that. And at the end if it is productive for him that's fine!
For styling, you prob want stylix, a flake that configures a ton of programs to look like a specific theme. -> (yes, you absolutely want to learn about flakes, makes using projects outside of nixpkgs muuch easier) Unfortunately it isn't perfect, aka some toolkits themselves aren't included, like QT, hence you would need to manually create a wrapper for it. (convert base16 to a QT theme with homemanager, prob leave this out for now and just see if stylix coveres most of your programs)
I have 2 monitors and a laptop for work and a gaming desktop PC. I can switch the inputs on the monitors to switch from one or the other. I invested into blackwidow v3 pro and basilisk v3 pro (because I'm a gamer first) so that I easily switch mouse and keyboard from one or the other. both mouse and keyboard have the ability to connect via either BT, cable, or 2.4 receiver, toggled via switch that's found on them.
The nearest Microcenter location to me is the Cambridge branch, and it's 9500km far:)) Visiting the microcenter is one of my dreams, but I don't think it will ever happen...
I actually did a recreation of neofetch in rust, if you want i can throw the code on github or something so you can reference it. Its fast and one version i started actually stays live in the console to show active CPU, RAM, Network, Disk, and Battery stats. But the more live info inadded the more i felt like i needed to go back to basics and incant remember what was working last time i worked on the code 😅
The DEL DEL DEL DEL DEL DEL DEL DEL DEL for BIOS made me laugh! There is nothing worse than missing your opportunity and having to wait for your Windows install to boot and then shutdown...
man i love rofi, its so clean and easy to setup my favourite keybind for it is just using the super key [windows-key] to show and to hide again with: bind = $mainMod, $mainMod_L, exec, pkill rofi || rofi -show drun [although not sure if the "_L" has to be on the first "$mainMod" or on the second 🤔 [like in my example] still very convenient if you ask me
when arc has a linux version turn off all AI features and it works amazing by default with common perma tabs, pinned tabs, tab folders, and more, im using a workaround but cannot wait until arc is supported on linux
You dont need to drain your water cooling every time you switch hardware, yes, some you need to (the old watercooling kits) but not the newer ones as its all self inclusive.
19:50 *vesktop* interesting thanks i've been using vencord but it's just a extension to plug into discord install folder i'll have to check this vesktop thing out
I tried Nixos on my ThinkPad T14 gen 1 and it, along with Linux Mint, was one of the only distros that worked. Others would either freeze or not have sound. Settled at Linux Mint coz I could not figure out how to get LAMP to work on Nix and I'm learning PHP. Before anyone says I should have used nginx , I need to say, the tutorial I was following (which was made by a mentor) used XAMP so I kinda had no choice. Great distro though, when I can afford another laptop, will definitely give it another try.
i use dwm with some functionality patches, i like dwm for the same reason i like linux, it's simple, it's highly configurable, it's not hardware demanding by any means, 8 years with this setup and don't think i'm chaging anything
I use a flake checked into my dotfiles repo to house my nixos configuration so I can check it into git. This means I could install a fresh nixos on a machine and a few commands later, boom, my entire setup is ready to go.
This looks like a faster way to a more customized setup. 20-years-younger me took the long way to similar going the Gentoo route. Today, I don’t have the time for that. I just want to be able sit down with a fresh computer, add the specific tools I use that aren’t part of the base system, and get to using the computer. Am I lazy or just old?
Are you going to share the git repo for your Nixos configs? Of course it's not obligatory, but seems quite popular in the nixos community to get your configs under version control... Secure all of your secrets somewhere else, and have them automatically pulled in, and then share the configuration with others. Maybe I just missed it, but didn't see it on your github from the link. I've been looking at a large amount of others configurations lately, and its always interesting to see how different people will solve a problem using different methods. Most of those are opinionated with sometimes very different opinions from me though, so I've been taking a long time to build an share my own😂
I like Hyprland but i couldn't really figure out how to setup fractional scaling on my laptop without all being blurry. I think setting up all of those things like a notification manager, desktop portal, theming, monitors... At some point is worth it for the performance and nice looking you get, but the fact that you're probably going to spend so much time setting up simple things and end up with a workflow you could get on any other DE, like Plasma with some shortcuts, just doesn't sound too great
I've tried to use it, but vscode was having problems permissions. In the end, I gave up, but the multi workspace workflow with shortcuts was epic. Now using something similar on MacOS, but it's not the same :(
Ik this is a stretch but could we get a "proper" tutorial on your setup? I'd like to follow along on my own laptop but i'm less technically inclined (i'm stupid) thanks!
I don't know what you're trying to do since as you said you ran out of time before getting to any programming. But you really don't need a kvm and capture card. You have ssh and vs code let's you code from your windows pc on your Linux pc and vice versa
Hi Forrest! Will you try gnu Guix at some point? Been trying to follow along to System Crafters videos in using guile but not quite picking it up as easily. I've been wanting to find a package manager that would work best on any distribution and I believe that is it. Otherwise great video and I love those small documentaries you do!
I used to do this but the amount of friction between switching machines was too much even with a kvm. I do a VM which works just as well and can be just as immersive
8:14 PLEASE dont unnecessarily pollute the global env. I get that this is a single-user machine, but you can still put packages that _you_ specifically need into `users.users.forrest.packages` . Also, nix automatically takes care of dependencies (as you would expect from a modern package manager) so you wouldnt have needed to add python3 manually.
Why did you go with ZSH and Nixos? This is a question not to bash (pun not intended) you or anything but just out of curiosity! Nixos install and riced in 6h42m from scratch, seems about the avg. Also I went from Xmonad to Hyprland because I wanted to try wayland, and I chose Hyprland over Sway mainly because it looked more pretty with the animations and stuff.
That's a really cool setup. I have a old pc I built back in 2015, still rocking Windows 10. I probably won't upgrade since I use a M1 Max MacBook Pro but I was considering on repurposing it with NixOS or Arch. How did you learn what to put in the configuration.nix file? A combination of google, youtube, forums? I'm curious to set up something like this as I explore more dev/programming, coming from a cybersecurity background.
I'm a NixOS user and I don't do any programming, and my machine was pretty easy to set up. Although I am a GNOME user, I don't mess with all this hyperland BS. After doing the graphical installation, NixOS creates a set of config files with plenty of comments telling you what everything does. Packages and services (options) are easy to install, the package search page on the NixOS website literally gives you Nix code to copy and paste into your file. I personally would stay away from directly copying random github config files, because I found that programmers like to over complicate their configuration. When changing my configuration file, I never felt like I was doing any programming, my setup just involved turning on some settings, adding some packages, and that was it.
@@medicfedor Awesome thank you for the feedback. That definitely sounds a lot easier, to do what Forrest setup would take me months as I don't have too much time aside from work and family to dedicate on configuring my pc. I've gone ahead and installed NixOS on my old PC and its running flawlessly. I'm taking my time on learning how it works and your right it's not that difficult.
Nice video, thank you. Would it be possible for you to share your Nix config file? I would like to start using NixOS, but I don't have time to go through all the documentation, so I was hoping to try your settings.
i genuinely don't understand comments about how hyprpanel/astal/ags freezes or breaks... i use it daily on my very average thinkpad and haven't had an issue. configuring it is terrible tho, not because of astal/ags, but mostly because gtk is one of the worst pieces of software out there, and there is no way to make good bindings.
Yeah, but then every minor change requires a rebuild and life is too short for that shizz. Just have the dotfiles in a repo and stow them at the end of the install.
@@zehph which is why you get a stable configuration manually then you can put it in home manager once its stable and you arent going to change it often or at all
@ still, what is the point then? The work is done. Commit to the repo, when it is needed again just `stow .` and you are good. The “snapshots” and “rollbacks” you can manage with version control. Flakes are great for declaring the packages, but managing configuration is just unnecessary fuss. Even the case of managing a stable config requires some rewriting for things like zsh or hyprland if you are doing it the Nix way and using the nix packages for the modules and stuff. But if it works for you, I am all for it! More power to you.
@zehph the whole point of nix is so you dont have to use other tools. Life is too short to learn stow by that same regards idc how "easy" it is its still a new tool. But I assume youre one of those people who always need to just make one more change to their config instead of just having something that works. In that case yeah nix is bad for you
@ Chill with the ad hominem there bud. I understand the goal of nix, I am just saying that home manager introduces more friction on the day to day than it solves, it’s not just about doing small changes on configuration for the sake of it. I don’t keep changing my configurations all the time, but when I want to try something new that may require some experimenting, the feedback cycle with home manager would make me want to claw my eyeballs off…
I want to do something very very similar I want to put my full desktop in the room across the hall, for VR (windows PC) then use a mini PC (thats reasonably powerful in its own right) for work , coding etc, but be able to pull up the VR PC in the other room and basically stream it to the mini PC and still be able to play games, would the elgato 4k60pro help with that and a pretty premium HDMI cord work well with it? Or should i just stick to trying Nvidia Moonlight?
Developers have setups like this and some bearded dude with energy drinks instead of blood working on a 15 year old laptop with a lit cig in their teeth is still outperfoming them
tokyospliff?
@@lateralrookthat ain’t a cigarette
@@alst4817 That's a dude on youtube who programs 3D game in c++ without an engine, on an old laptop with a lit cig in his teeth
facts of life
and then you have bearded dudes with redbull instead of red blood having this kind of setups and this is another story.
I like this style of video. It reminds me all of the techtubers are just people, luke us, who dont have enough time to read all of the docs and don't magically have a working project in the span of a 15min video.
I can't believe I just smiled the second I seen NixOS in the title.
I admire your dedication to a very custom experience. I do not share it.
Yeah, why not use the default DE? It looks cool and works.
@@raulgrangeiroYou don’t need to strive for the very best - diminishing returns will kick in. But settling for something that’s “just ok” seems insane considering how much time is spent interacting with those elements.
@@RegrinderAlert I agree in a certain way, but I'm pretty productive using a DE, and I prefer to stick with something that doesn't hassle to work.
@ That’s fine but I also think being productive is not a useful metric. You don’t necessarily type faster with an ergonomic keyboard and custom layout. But it is less effort, more effective and way more fun. Similar story with your overall environment. I will stand by the bold claim that all out-of-the-box DE experiences are pretty horrible in terms of friction.
@@RegrinderAlert Thank God we have options. I agree with the initial message from our friend: I admire the effort, but wouldn't do that. And at the end if it is productive for him that's fine!
21:02 - if someone already hasnt pointed out- you can use stylix
+
if he's using catppuccin it will be way easier to just use catppuccin/nix
The type of vlogs I like
first time watching any f his content and I subscribed in under a minute. I learned shit and was equally entertained INSTANTLY
Damnit I was super hyped for the next video... Then I realised this was uploaded 19 hours ago.
21:56 the lack of a nerd font makes me cry pwp
@fknight , you can use stylix to globally configure, nixOS with one theme eg. Catpuccin
Alternatively there also is a catppuccin Nixos module
+1 to stylix, its awesome
Stylix is incredible, truly jaw dropping how simple it makes themeing your entire desktop
kek we had the same idea
but afaik not every program does support it
For styling, you prob want stylix, a flake that configures a ton of programs to look like a specific theme. -> (yes, you absolutely want to learn about flakes, makes using projects outside of nixpkgs muuch easier)
Unfortunately it isn't perfect, aka some toolkits themselves aren't included, like QT, hence you would need to manually create a wrapper for it. (convert base16 to a QT theme with homemanager, prob leave this out for now and just see if stylix coveres most of your programs)
That's my Micro Center!!!! The excitement is real! Insta-subscribe!
It's satisfying to see you setting up the entire system.
Finally!!! I just swicthed back to Linux last weekend too! It seems that is time!
Hell yeah, NixOS mentioned
Please make more content on NixOS
For water cooling, have a look at quick connects, you don't need to drain every time.
you can very easily configure colour schemes on nixos using Stylix
Dang, drove all the way up from VA beach to Fairfax Micro Center. Surprising there isn't one in Richmond.
Really nice video, inspired me to get back at my tinkering.
insteaqd of a capture card you could use - synergy / sunshine / moonlight. and use it from anywhere on anything.
I have 2 monitors and a laptop for work and a gaming desktop PC. I can switch the inputs on the monitors to switch from one or the other. I invested into blackwidow v3 pro and basilisk v3 pro (because I'm a gamer first) so that I easily switch mouse and keyboard from one or the other. both mouse and keyboard have the ability to connect via either BT, cable, or 2.4 receiver, toggled via switch that's found on them.
The nearest Microcenter location to me is the Cambridge branch, and it's 9500km far:)) Visiting the microcenter is one of my dreams, but I don't think it will ever happen...
i ended up driving 2.5 hours just to experience a micro center. deff worth the drive.
what
Welcome back!
7:12 ALL I EVER WANTED ALL I EVER NEEDED IS HERE IN MY ARMS
WORDS ARE VERY UNNECESSARY, THEY CAN ONLY DO HARM
I actually did a recreation of neofetch in rust, if you want i can throw the code on github or something so you can reference it. Its fast and one version i started actually stays live in the console to show active CPU, RAM, Network, Disk, and Battery stats. But the more live info inadded the more i felt like i needed to go back to basics and incant remember what was working last time i worked on the code 😅
About the watercooling part, if you use quick-connects such that became popular recently you don't have to drain ;)
The DEL DEL DEL DEL DEL DEL DEL DEL DEL for BIOS made me laugh! There is nothing worse than missing your opportunity and having to wait for your Windows install to boot and then shutdown...
This is absolutely the best way to do it and sometimes I still miss the opportunity somehow!
man i love rofi, its so clean and easy to setup
my favourite keybind for it is just using the super key [windows-key] to show and to hide again with:
bind = $mainMod, $mainMod_L, exec, pkill rofi || rofi -show drun [although not sure if the "_L" has to be on the first "$mainMod" or on the second 🤔 [like in my example]
still very convenient if you ask me
you're killing me, gonna make try and learn dev again! Number 6 might be the charm!
beast u goated fr
you can use stylix to make the colorscheme work system wide or at least the apps stylix supports
when arc has a linux version turn off all AI features and it works amazing by default with common perma tabs, pinned tabs, tab folders, and more, im using a workaround but cannot wait until arc is supported on linux
You dont need to drain your water cooling every time you switch hardware, yes, some you need to (the old watercooling kits) but not the newer ones as its all self inclusive.
I'm a newbie, and I think I'll stick with Arch, I don't even know NixOS feels so complicated for me😭😭😭
Welcome to nixos!!!
19:50 *vesktop* interesting thanks i've been using vencord but it's just a extension to plug into discord install folder i'll have to check this vesktop thing out
I always admire nyx users' setups but I don't think I could ever run nyx myself
Rather than a KVM, perhaps look into using 'Barrier' to share inputs from the main Windows machine on the Nix machine?
Regarding styling and theming in Nix, I greatly recommend Stylix.
I tried Nixos on my ThinkPad T14 gen 1 and it, along with Linux Mint, was one of the only distros that worked. Others would either freeze or not have sound. Settled at Linux Mint coz I could not figure out how to get LAMP to work on Nix and I'm learning PHP. Before anyone says I should have used nginx , I need to say, the tutorial I was following (which was made by a mentor) used XAMP so I kinda had no choice. Great distro though, when I can afford another laptop, will definitely give it another try.
i use dwm with some functionality patches, i like dwm for the same reason i like linux, it's simple, it's highly configurable, it's not hardware demanding by any means, 8 years with this setup and don't think i'm chaging anything
I use a flake checked into my dotfiles repo to house my nixos configuration so I can check it into git. This means I could install a fresh nixos on a machine and a few commands later, boom, my entire setup is ready to go.
5:08 daaaamn bro we got the same USB stick
The radius of the rounded corers are far too large for my tastes, but everything else looks great.
240hz is even better. You should really try it. Such a huge difference.
i like my fedora kde spin, still pretty cool
This looks like a faster way to a more customized setup. 20-years-younger me took the long way to similar going the Gentoo route. Today, I don’t have the time for that. I just want to be able sit down with a fresh computer, add the specific tools I use that aren’t part of the base system, and get to using the computer. Am I lazy or just old?
great video. Do wish benq make a higher refresh programming display.
Welcome to the club
Are you going to share the git repo for your Nixos configs? Of course it's not obligatory, but seems quite popular in the nixos community to get your configs under version control... Secure all of your secrets somewhere else, and have them automatically pulled in, and then share the configuration with others.
Maybe I just missed it, but didn't see it on your github from the link.
I've been looking at a large amount of others configurations lately, and its always interesting to see how different people will solve a problem using different methods.
Most of those are opinionated with sometimes very different opinions from me though, so I've been taking a long time to build an share my own😂
If I lived near a Microcenter, I'd be homeless with a lot of gadgets
I like Hyprland but i couldn't really figure out how to setup fractional scaling on my laptop without all being blurry. I think setting up all of those things like a notification manager, desktop portal, theming, monitors... At some point is worth it for the performance and nice looking you get, but the fact that you're probably going to spend so much time setting up simple things and end up with a workflow you could get on any other DE, like Plasma with some shortcuts, just doesn't sound too great
I've tried to use it, but vscode was having problems permissions. In the end, I gave up, but the multi workspace workflow with shortcuts was epic. Now using something similar on MacOS, but it's not the same :(
Ik this is a stretch but could we get a "proper" tutorial on your setup? I'd like to follow along on my own laptop but i'm less technically inclined (i'm stupid) thanks!
more nixos please, i'm curious over fedora (and wsl2)
Welcome to the gang
upload your damn nix config file :D starting my nixos adventure because of you, thanks!
Im sorry where is this microcenter? It looks like the microcenter in my town or the circuit city we had back in 2000.
i started watercooling 5 years ago and I WILL NEVER GO BACK!!!
Could listen to this guy for hours
Nice setup, but why don't just dual boot your NixOS?
I don't know what you're trying to do since as you said you ran out of time before getting to any programming. But you really don't need a kvm and capture card. You have ssh and vs code let's you code from your windows pc on your Linux pc and vice versa
Hi Forrest! Will you try gnu Guix at some point? Been trying to follow along to System Crafters videos in using guile but not quite picking it up as easily. I've been wanting to find a package manager that would work best on any distribution and I believe that is it. Otherwise great video and I love those small documentaries you do!
I used to do this but the amount of friction between switching machines was too much even with a kvm. I do a VM which works just as well and can be just as immersive
Is that a well used Bible sitting next to you?
Love the video, what split keyboard did you decided to try out?
Use ventoy instead, you can store multiple ISOs in the same stick
17:19 Planet of Lana wallpaper pog
@fknight you should probably split your home manager config into a separate file for readability and maintainability
You should be managing all those configs in Nix home-manager. This is the Nix way ;)
What keyboard is that you use? I can see is a 60, and it looks slick. Share your setup!
Lucky u. At work we share git repository and linux file system and indexing make problems to windows users.
Only 6 hours? Wow, you are really fast.... I spend between 8 and 20 hours on my new setup. Every month.
8:14 PLEASE dont unnecessarily pollute the global env. I get that this is a single-user machine, but you can still put packages that _you_ specifically need into `users.users.forrest.packages` . Also, nix automatically takes care of dependencies (as you would expect from a modern package manager) so you wouldnt have needed to add python3 manually.
Why did you go with ZSH and Nixos? This is a question not to bash (pun not intended) you or anything but just out of curiosity!
Nixos install and riced in 6h42m from scratch, seems about the avg.
Also I went from Xmonad to Hyprland because I wanted to try wayland, and I chose Hyprland over Sway mainly because it looked more pretty with the animations and stuff.
That's a really cool setup. I have a old pc I built back in 2015, still rocking Windows 10. I probably won't upgrade since I use a M1 Max MacBook Pro but I was considering on repurposing it with NixOS or Arch. How did you learn what to put in the configuration.nix file? A combination of google, youtube, forums? I'm curious to set up something like this as I explore more dev/programming, coming from a cybersecurity background.
I'm a NixOS user and I don't do any programming, and my machine was pretty easy to set up. Although I am a GNOME user, I don't mess with all this hyperland BS. After doing the graphical installation, NixOS creates a set of config files with plenty of comments telling you what everything does. Packages and services (options) are easy to install, the package search page on the NixOS website literally gives you Nix code to copy and paste into your file. I personally would stay away from directly copying random github config files, because I found that programmers like to over complicate their configuration. When changing my configuration file, I never felt like I was doing any programming, my setup just involved turning on some settings, adding some packages, and that was it.
@@medicfedor Awesome thank you for the feedback. That definitely sounds a lot easier, to do what Forrest setup would take me months as I don't have too much time aside from work and family to dedicate on configuring my pc. I've gone ahead and installed NixOS on my old PC and its running flawlessly. I'm taking my time on learning how it works and your right it's not that difficult.
What is your office chair?
BRO LETS GOOO!!!
Use stylis or catppuccin/nix to have everything be catppuccin
You don't know what Flakes are for? Good, because no one else seems to know either.
Zorin OS is an excellent option for those new to Linux or anyone else who wants a simple, elegant, and stable experience.
WELCOME HOME
Nice video, thank you.
Would it be possible for you to share your Nix config file? I would like to start using NixOS, but I don't have time to go through all the documentation, so I was hoping to try your settings.
the thing im actually curious about is how the hell do you maintain that hair
I would stay with starship. Oh my zsh has been sunset
He is one of us know guys, WE GOT HIM
naaah he should do the reverse. Linux as main machine and windows in that sponcer pc
In case its not answered in video but its still fresh - what keyboard is your normal one??
I'm wondering if he decised not to use the 40% keyboard or did I miss something
i genuinely don't understand comments about how hyprpanel/astal/ags freezes or breaks...
i use it daily on my very average thinkpad and haven't had an issue.
configuring it is terrible tho, not because of astal/ags, but mostly because gtk is one of the worst pieces of software out there, and there is no way to make good bindings.
At first glance i thought the channel name was 'foreskin night'
interesting that no link for micro is working
You can configure hyprland with the nix language using home manager
Yeah, but then every minor change requires a rebuild and life is too short for that shizz. Just have the dotfiles in a repo and stow them at the end of the install.
@@zehph which is why you get a stable configuration manually then you can put it in home manager once its stable and you arent going to change it often or at all
@ still, what is the point then? The work is done. Commit to the repo, when it is needed again just `stow .` and you are good.
The “snapshots” and “rollbacks” you can manage with version control.
Flakes are great for declaring the packages, but managing configuration is just unnecessary fuss.
Even the case of managing a stable config requires some rewriting for things like zsh or hyprland if you are doing it the Nix way and using the nix packages for the modules and stuff.
But if it works for you, I am all for it! More power to you.
@zehph the whole point of nix is so you dont have to use other tools. Life is too short to learn stow by that same regards idc how "easy" it is its still a new tool. But I assume youre one of those people who always need to just make one more change to their config instead of just having something that works. In that case yeah nix is bad for you
@ Chill with the ad hominem there bud.
I understand the goal of nix, I am just saying that home manager introduces more friction on the day to day than it solves, it’s not just about doing small changes on configuration for the sake of it.
I don’t keep changing my configurations all the time, but when I want to try something new that may require some experimenting, the feedback cycle with home manager would make me want to claw my eyeballs off…
24:07 well, I just got blasted today of all days but, are you going to share the NixOS file that makes your setup awesome ? TIA
What chair are you using?
Why use a KVM, when you can just use Multiplicity from Stardock ? 🤷♀
linux mint lovers just watching in peace
You gonna have a repo with configs?
I want to do something very very similar
I want to put my full desktop in the room across the hall, for VR (windows PC) then use a mini PC (thats reasonably powerful in its own right) for work , coding etc, but be able to pull up the VR PC in the other room and basically stream it to the mini PC and still be able to play games, would the elgato 4k60pro help with that and a pretty premium HDMI cord work well with it? Or should i just stick to trying Nvidia Moonlight?