Terminal
The first step of customizing your terminal is picking a terminal. Here on Linux, there are many different terminal emulators such as kitty, alacrity, urxvt, termite, gnome-terminal. Each terminal emulator has its pros and cons and various features. I current use Kitty since it’s GPU-accelerated, and it has a very clean configuration file format. I have used urxvt and termite in the past, and I haven’t noticed any significant performance differences, but I did find that urxvt is a bit harder to configure. I’ve also tried hyper, the electron-based emulator but found it to be slow.
Electron allows people to build desktop applications using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; this is typically nice for writing large-scale applications where you don’t want to duplicate code between web and desktop. But this comes at a cost: slower performance. Although hyper is getting better and optimizes to improve speed, I definitely have noticed that it is much slower than a traditional terminal emulator, so I avoid it.
To setup kitty you first need to create the configuration file ~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf (there are other ways to load a config file as seen in the docs). Here we can put all the configuration options.
# Loads in my color palette include afterglow.conf # My font that I downloaded above font_family SpaceMono Nerd Font Mono # I personally dislike ligatures disable_ligatures always # Works with picom (on linux) to add some transparency background_opacity .6 url_color #0087bd url_style curly # Enable zsh as seen below shell zsh
foreground #d0d0d0 cursor #d0d0d0 selection_foreground #928374 selection_background #3c3836 # Black color0 #151515 # Bright black color8 #505050 # red color1 #a53c23 # light red color9 #a53c23 # green color2 #7b9246 # light green color10 #7b9246 # yellow color3 #d3a04d # light yellow color11 #d3a04d # blue color4 #6c99bb # light blue color12 #547c99 # magenta color5 #9f4e85 # light magenta color13 #9f4e85 # cyan color6 #7dd6cf # lighy cyan color14 #7dd6cf # light gray color7 #d0d0d0 # dark gray color15 #f5f5f5
And with that kitty should be setup!
Font
Later in the post I will talk about using starship. Starship requires having a nerd font installed and enabled for the terminal ( read more here). I choose to go with space mono. I switch up my font every now and again though.
If you are using arch you can easily install this font with yay -S nerd-fonts-space-mono (AUR package).
Blur/Opacity
This section is very specific to Linux (again install details differ for other distros).
I am using picom, a compositor for Xorg. I’m not entirely sure how compositors work underneath the hood, but they allow you to apply specific effects to Windows, such as blurring, animations, and transparency. You can read more here. As of this writing, the base picom repo does not support dual kawase blur and rounded borders, so I am using a fork that supports both. This fork also supports window animation, which I think look nice.
# ░█▀█░▀█▀░█▀▀░█▀█░█▄█░░░░█▀▀░█▀█░█▀█░█▀▀ # ░█▀▀░░█░░█░░░█░█░█░█░░░░█░░░█░█░█░█░█▀▀ # ░▀░░░▀▀▀░▀▀▀░▀▀▀░▀░▀░▀░░▀▀▀░▀▀▀░▀░▀░▀░░ # # X compositor configuration # ░█▀▀░█░█░█▀█░█▀▄░█▀█░█░█ # ░▀▀█░█▀█░█▀█░█░█░█░█░█▄█ # ░▀▀▀░▀░▀░▀░▀░▀▀░░▀▀▀░▀░▀ shadow = false; shadow-radius = 12; shadow-opacity = 0.75; shadow-offset-x = -12; shadow-offset-y = -12; # shadow-red = 0 # shadow-green = 0 # shadow-blue = 0 shadow-color = "#000000"; shadow-exclude = [ "name = 'Notification'", "class_g = 'Conky'", "class_g ?= 'Notify-osd'", "class_g = 'Cairo-clock'", "class_g = 'slop'", "class_g = 'Firefox' && argb", "class_g = 'Rofi'", "_GTK_FRAME_EXTENTS@:c", "_NET_WM_STATE@:32a *= '_NET_WM_STATE_HIDDEN'" ]; # shadow-exclude-reg = "x10+0+0"; # xinerama-shadow-crop = true; # ░█▀▀░█▀█░█▀▄░▀█▀░█▀█░█▀▀ # ░█▀▀░█▀█░█░█░░█░░█░█░█░█ # ░▀░░░▀░▀░▀▀░░▀▀▀░▀░▀░▀▀▀ # fading = true; # fade-in-step = 0.03; # fade-out-step = 0.03; # fade-delta = 3; # fade-exclude = []; # no-fading-openclose = false; # no-fading-destroyed-argb = true; # ░█▀█░█▀█░█▀█░█▀▀░▀█▀░▀█▀░█░█ # ░█░█░█▀▀░█▀█░█░░░░█░░░█░░░█░ # ░▀▀▀░▀░░░▀░▀░▀▀▀░▀▀▀░░▀░░░▀░ inactive-opacity = 1; frame-opacity = 1; inactive-opacity-override = false; active-opacity = 1.0; inactive-dim = 0.0; focus-exclude = [ "class_g = 'Cairo-clock'", "class_g ?= 'rofi'", "class_g ?= 'slop'", "class_g ?= 'Steam'" ]; # inactive-dim-fixed = 1.0; opacity-rule = [ "80:class_g = 'URxvt'", "80:class_g = 'UXTerm'", "80:class_g = 'XTerm'", # "80:class_g = 'kitty'", "80:class_g = 'Alacritty'", # "80:class_g = 'Code'", "80:class_g = 'Spotify'" # "80:class_g = 'discord'" ] # ░█▀▄░█░░░█░█░█▀▄░█▀▄░▀█▀░█▀█░█▀▀ # ░█▀▄░█░░░█░█░█▀▄░█▀▄░░█░░█░█░█░█ # ░▀▀░░▀▀▀░▀▀▀░▀░▀░▀░▀░▀▀▀░▀░▀░▀▀▀ blur: < method = "dual_kawase"; strength = 7.0; deviation = 1.0; # kernel = "11x11gaussian"; >blur-background = false; blur-background-frame = true; blur-background-fixed = true; # blur-kern = "3x3box"; blur-background-exclude = [ "window_type = 'desktop'", "window_type = 'utility'", "class_g = 'slop'", "class_g = 'Firefox' && argb", "_GTK_FRAME_EXTENTS@:c" ]; # ░█▀▀░█▀▀░█▀█░█▀▀░█▀▄░█▀█░█░░░░░█▀▀░█▀▀░▀█▀░▀█▀░▀█▀░█▀█░█▀▀░█▀▀ # ░█░█░█▀▀░█░█░█▀▀░█▀▄░█▀█░█░░░░░▀▀█░█▀▀░░█░░░█░░░█░░█░█░█░█░▀▀█ # ░▀▀▀░▀▀▀░▀░▀░▀▀▀░▀░▀░▀░▀░▀▀▀░░░▀▀▀░▀▀▀░░▀░░░▀░░▀▀▀░▀░▀░▀▀▀░▀▀▀ daemon = false; backend = "glx"; vsync = true; dbus = false; mark-wmwin-focused = true; mark-ovredir-focused = true; detect-rounded-corners = true; detect-client-opacity = true; refresh-rate = 0; # use-ewmh-active-win = true; # unredir-if-possible = false; # unredir-if-possible-delay = 0; unredir-if-possible-exclude = []; detect-transient = true; detect-client-leader = true; resize-damage = 1; invert-color-include = []; glx-no-stencil = true; # glx-no-rebind-pixmap = false; use-damage = true; # xrender-sync-fence = true; # glx-fshader-win = ""; # force-win-blend = false; # no-ewmh-fullscreen = false; # max-brightness = 1.0; transparent-clipping = false; log-level = "warn"; log-file = "/home/kpfromer/.cache/picom-log.log"; show-all-xerrors = true; # write-pid-path = '/path/to/your/mom'; wintypes: < tooltip = < fade = true; shadow = false; focus = false; >; normal = < shadow = false; >; dock = < shadow = false; >; dnd = < shadow = false; >; popup_menu = < shadow = true; focus = false; opacity = 0.90; >; dropdown_menu = < shadow = false; focus = false; >; above = < shadow = true; >; splash = < shadow = false; >; utility = < focus = false; shadow = false; >; notification = < shadow = false; >; desktop = < shadow = false >; menu = < focus = false >; dialog = < shadow = true; >; >; # ░█▀█░█▀█░▀█▀░█▄█░█▀█░▀█▀░▀█▀░█▀█░█▀█░█▀▀ # ░█▀█░█░█░░█░░█░█░█▀█░░█░░░█░░█░█░█░█░▀▀█ # ░▀░▀░▀░▀░▀▀▀░▀░▀░▀░▀░░▀░░▀▀▀░▀▀▀░▀░▀░▀▀▀ # requires https://github.com/jonaburg/picom (read more there too) transition-length = 185 transition-pow-x = 0.1 transition-pow-y = 0.1 transition-pow-w = 0.1 transition-pow-h = 0.1 size-transition = true # ░█▀▀░█▀█░█▀▄░█▀█░█▀▀░█▀▄░█▀▀ # ░█░░░█░█░█▀▄░█░█░█▀▀░█▀▄░▀▀█ # ░▀▀▀░▀▀▀░▀░▀░▀░▀░▀▀▀░▀░▀░▀▀▀ # requires: https://github.com/sdhand/compton or https://github.com/jonaburg/picom corner-radius = 10.0; rounded-corners-exclude = [ #"window_type = 'normal'", "class_g = 'awesome'", # "class_g = 'URxvt'", # "class_g = 'XTerm'", # "class_g = 'kitty'", # "class_g = 'Alacritty'", # "class_g = 'Polybar'", # "class_g = 'code-oss'", #"class_g = 'TelegramDesktop'", # "class_g = 'firefox'", # "class_g = 'Thunderbird'" ]; round-borders = 1; round-borders-exclude = [ #"class_g = 'TelegramDesktop'", ];
Shell
There are many different types of shells that you can run, but the main three that come off my head are bash, zsh, and fish. I’ve only used bash and zsh and have not messed around with fish. I use zsh the most since it’s extensible, has better tab completion (than bash), and is POSIX sh compliant. Installing zsh is reasonably easy:
# Arch install yay -S zsh # Debian? (from quick google search) sudo apt install zsh
Make sure you set the zsh in your terminal (as seen in the kitty configuration file).
Plugins
I also install [zplug](https://github.com/zplug/zplug) , which is a zsh plugin manager. There are many different plugin managers, but personally, I have found zplug to be clean to write with and fast.
# Arch install yay -S zplug # Check their docs for setup on others (https://github.com/zplug/zplug)
# _ # _______| |__ # |_ / __| '_ \ # / /\__ \ | | | # /___|___/_| |_| # Launch Starship eval "$(starship init zsh)" # Zplug (this is the location that arch installs zpl) source /usr/share/zsh/scripts/zplug/init.zsh # Colorize older terminal apps (like man) # Start blinking export LESS_TERMCAP_mb=$(tput bold; tput setaf 2) # green # Start bold export LESS_TERMCAP_md=$(tput bold; tput setaf 2) # green # Start stand out export LESS_TERMCAP_so=$(tput bold; tput setaf 3) # yellow # End standout export LESS_TERMCAP_se=$(tput rmso; tput sgr0) # Start underline export LESS_TERMCAP_us=$(tput smul; tput bold; tput setaf 1) # red # End bold, blinking, standout, underline export LESS_TERMCAP_me=$(tput sgr0) # aliases alias ls='exa --long --header --icons --sort=type' alias tree='exa --tree --level 3' alias sdn="sudo shutdown -h now" # Quick shutdown alias cp="cp -i" # Confirm before overwriting something alias pkg="yay -Q | fzf" alias yt='youtube-dl --add-metadata -i' alias cz='git-cz --disable-emoji' # load the good parts from oh-my-zsh # zsh auto completion zplug "lib/completion", from:oh-my-zsh # setups up histoyr zplug "lib/history", from:oh-my-zsh # Color highlighting in terminal zplug "zdharma/fast-syntax-highlighting" # Auto suggests commands based on history zplug "zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions" # Install plugins if there are plugins that have not been installed (copied from the zplug readme) if ! zplug check --verbose; then printf "Install? [y/N]: " if read -q; then echo; zplug install fi fi # # Then, source plugins and add commands to $PATH zplug load # run pfetch if terminal is interactive (https://github.com/dylanaraps/pfetch) [ -z "$PS1" ] || pfetch
Theme
In the past I installed my theme via zsh, but I recently have found starship a customizable prompt that works with any shell. It’s written in rust and boosts a sensible design and vast number of customization options.
# Arch install yay -S starship-bin # Regular install curl -fsSL https://starship.rs/install.sh | bash
Colorful ls
A while back, I wanted a more colorful version of ls. I’ve been searching online and have found this program called exa. It has many similar command-line options to ls and has some additional features like a tree view (note I aliased ls to exa in the zshrc config).
# Arch install yay -S exa # Debian/ubuntu sudo apt install exa # read more: https://the.exa.website/#installation
Summary
Thanks for reading; hopefully, you found something interesting or useful. Feel free to look at some of my dot files ( link) to learn more about how I have customized my Linux environment. I also have my awesome window manager dotfiles here. Also take a look at the resources below for further inspiration; I think that they have some slick setups.