writerdeckOS VMware Guide

This guide explains how to enhance writerdeckOS when running inside VMware.

It includes system setup, shared folder configuration, useful terminal applications, productivity tools, and custom scripts.

Table of Contents

• 🛠️ 1. Update System & Install VMware Tools
• 📁 2. Mount VMware Shared Folder
• 📝 3. Install Spell Checker (Aspell)
• 🔗 4. Add Share Aliases
• 🧮 5. Install Calculator (Qalc)
• 🌳 6. Directory Tree Viewer
• ✏️ 7. Install Another Editor (micro)
• 📅 8. Text Based Calendar (calcurse)
• 🌦️ 9. Weather in Terminal (wttrin)
• 📚 10. Dictionary Tools
• 🌐 11. Wikit (Wikipedia CLI)
• 🕸️ 12. Text Mode Web Browser (w3m)
• 🧩 13. Tmux – Multi Panel Terminal
• 🐍 14. Python Scripts (bin folder)
• 🔢 15. Add Word Count to Tmux Status Bar
• 💡 Extra Tip – install_apps.sh
• 🔧 Fixing Auto‑Login in writerdeckOS (VMware)
• Recommended Setup

🛠️ 1. Update System & Install VMware Tools

sudo apt update
sudo apt install open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop
sudo reboot

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📁 2. Mount VMware Shared Folder

Manual Mount

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/hgfs
sudo vmhgfs-fuse .host:/ /mnt/hgfs -o allow_other

Check it:

ls /mnt/hgfs

Auto mount at Boot

Edit fstab: (Controls how drives and partitions are mounted at boot. Edit with care.)

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add:

# mount automatically
.host:/ /mnt/hgfs fuse.vmhgfs-fuse allow_other 0 0

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📝 3. Install Spell Checker (Aspell)

sudo apt install aspell aspell-en

Run it:

aspell check filename

Add Spell Alias

Edit profile: (This file loads your environment settings, aliases, and shell behaviour.)

nano /home/author/.profile

Add:

# Alias – Spell checker
alias spell='aspell check'
export ASPELL_CONF="lang en_GB"

Reload:

source ~/.profile

Use:

spell filename

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🔗 4. Add Share Aliases

Edit profile:

nano /home/author/.profile

Add:

# Alias – Share folder
toshare() {
    cp -v "$1" /mnt/hgfs/shared
}
fromshare() {
    cp -v /mnt/hgfs/shared/"$1" .
}

Usage:

toshare filename
fromshare filename

---

🧮 5. Install Calculator (Qalc)

sudo apt install qalc

Examples:

qalc "5 km to miles"
qalc 100 GBP to EUR
qalc "32 F to C"
qalc

Exit history mode with Ctrl + C.

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🌳 6. Directory Tree Viewer

sudo apt install tree

Use:

tree

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✏️ 7. Install Another Editor (micro)

sudo apt install micro

Use:

micro

Note that other editors are already installed, including joe and nano.

---

📅 8. Text Based Calendar (calcurse)

sudo apt install calcurse

Use:

calcurse

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🌦️ 9. Weather in Terminal (wttr.in)

sudo apt install curl

Examples:

curl wttr.in
curl wttr.in/New+York
curl wttr.in/moon

---

📚 10. Dictionary Tools

sudo apt install dict dictd dict-wn

Usage:

dict word
dict computer
dict retro

WordNet (Synonyms)

sudo apt install wordnet

Usage:

wn word -synsv
wn word -grepv
wn word -synsv | less

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🌐 11. Wikit (Wikipedia CLI)

Installed via npm

sudo apt install nodejs npm
sudo npm install -g wikit

Examples:

wikit linux
wikit united kingdom
wikit london

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🕸️ 12. Text Mode Web Browser (w3m)

sudo apt install w3m w3m-img

Examples:

w3m https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/writer
w3m https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/writer

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🧩 13. Tmux – Multi Panel Terminal

Tmux comes preinstalled

• New window: Ctrl + B, then c
• Horizontal split: Ctrl + B, then %
• Vertical split: Ctrl + B, then "
• Move panels: Ctrl + B + Arrow keys
• Close panel: Ctrl + B, then x

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🐍 14. Python Scripts (bin folder)

Scripts included in the repository:

• countapp – word counter with daily goal bar
• menu – info + tools reference
• menu_ex – execute commands from menu

Copy scripts to writerdeckOS

Place them in:

~/bin

Convert CRLF → LF

sed -i 's/\r$//' countapp
sed -i 's/\r$//' menu
sed -i 's/\r$//' menu_ex

Make Executable

chmod +x ~/bin/countapp
chmod +x ~/bin/menu
chmod +x ~/bin/menu_ex

Add to PATH

sudo nano /home/author/.profile

Add:

# Path for MyApp
export PATH="$HOME/bin:$PATH"

Reload:

source ~/.profile

Run:

countapp filename
menu
menu_ex

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🔢 15. Add Word Count to Tmux Status Bar

Test quiet mode:

countapp blog4.txt --quiet

Edit tmux config: (Configuration file for tmux. Set key bindings, colours, status bar, and layout rules.)

sudo nano ~/.tmux.conf

Add at top:

# Add MyApp path
set-environment -g PATH "/home/author/bin:/home/author/.local/bin:$PATH"

Modify status-right:

set -g status-right "Battery: #(cat /sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/capacity)% | #(tmux capture-pane -p | grep -o \"$HOME/[^ ]*\" | xargs -I{} countapp {} --quiet) Words"

Reload:

tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf

Now saving a file in tilde updates the word count in the top right corner.

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💡 Extra Tip – install_apps.sh

A simple script (included in bin/) that installs apps and mounts VMware shared folders.

Copy it to:

~/bin/install_apps.sh

Make executable:

chmod +x install_apps.sh

Dry run:

./install_apps.sh --dry-run

Real install:

sudo ./install_apps.sh

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🔧 Fixing Auto‑Login in writerdeckOS (VMware)

If writerdeckOS stops auto‑logging into the author account, the autologin configuration may be missing or corrupted.

You can restore it by recreating the systemd override file.

1. Check if the autologin file exists

cat /etc/systemd/system/getty@tty1.service.d/autologin.conf

If the file is missing or empty, continue with the steps below.

2. Recreate the autologin directory

sudo mkdir -p /etc/systemd/system/getty@tty1.service.d

3. Create the autologin configuration file Real install:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/getty@tty1.service.d/autologin.conf

Paste the following content:

[Service]
ExecStart=
ExecStart=-/sbin/agetty --autologin author --noclear %I $TERM

Save and exit.

4. Reload systemd

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

5. Restart the getty service

sudo systemctl restart getty@tty1.service

6. Reboot writerdeckOS

sudo reboot

Recommended Setup

• writerdeckOS + VMware Workstation Pro