Aether-Dotfiles 🚀

Universal Arch Linux installer with integrated dotfiles management Built by a CS student, optimized for productivity and low-resource systems

Features • Installation • Keybindings • Customization • Credits

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📖 Table of Contents

• Philosophy
• Features
• Screenshots
• Installation
  • Method 1: Fresh Arch Installation
  • Method 2: Existing Arch System
  • Method 3: Just Dotfiles
• What's Included
• Keybindings
• Customization
• Hardware Optimizations
• Dotfiles Management
• Troubleshooting
• Credits
• License

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🎯 Philosophy

This configuration is designed for students and developers who:

• Need a productive environment for work
• Works on limited hardware
• Want reproducible setups across multiple machines
• Value performance over eye candy (but still want it to look good)
• Prefer keyboard-driven workflows
• Need version-controlled configurations

Why This Setup?

• One-command installation: From Arch ISO to complete desktop
• Interactive installer: Choose encryption, LVM, disk layout
• Minimal resource usage: Runs smoothly on 4GB RAM
• Workflow automation: multiple scripts
• GNU Stow management: Clean, modular dotfiles structure
• Hardware optimized: Tuned for Intel i3-6006U + AMD Radeon M330

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✨ Features

🔧 Universal Installer

• Interactive installation wizard with toggle options
• Flexible partitioning: Single/dual disk, LVM, encryption support
• Hardware detection: Automatically detects and configures GPU, CPU
• Dual-boot friendly: GRUB configuration for Windows/Linux
• Post-install automation: One script to deploy everything

🎨 Desktop Environment

• Hyprland: Modern Wayland compositor with smooth animations
• Waybar: Customizable status bar with system stats
• Rofi: Fast application launcher
• Dunst: Minimal notification daemon
• Catppuccin Mocha: Beautiful, battery-friendly color scheme

🛠️ Developer Tools

• Neovim + VS Code: Full-featured editors
• Wezterm: GPU-accelerated terminal
• Zsh + Starship: Beautiful, fast shell with git integration
• Modern CLI tools: eza, bat, ripgrep, fzf, zoxide, just
• Docker support: Containerized development
• Git integration: GitHub CLI, git-lfs

📦 Optional Components

• Anaconda: Full ML/AI stack
• Communication: Discord, Telegram
• Media: Spotify, MPV, VLC
• Browsers: Firefox, Google-Chrome

📸 Screenshots

Desktop

Hyprland desktop with Waybar and Catppuccin Mocha theme

Terminal

Wezterm terminal with Zsh, Starship prompt, and modern CLI tools

Application Launcher

Rofi application launcher

File Manager

File management with yazi

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🚀 Installation

Method 1: Fresh Arch Installation (Recommended)

Perfect for clean installs. This will format your disk and install Arch from scratch.

Step 1: Boot Arch ISO

1. Download Arch Linux ISO
2. Create bootable USB with dd or Rufus/Etcher
3. Boot from USB (UEFI mode required)

Step 2: Connect to Internet

# For WiFi
iwctl
[iwd]# device list
[iwd]# station wlan0 scan
[iwd]# station wlan0 get-networks
[iwd]# station wlan0 connect "SSID"
[iwd]# exit

# For Ethernet (usually automatic)
ping archlinux.org

Step 3: Run Universal Installer (Coming Soon)

The installer will prompt you for:

Option	Description	Recommendation
Hostname	Computer name	archie-laptop
Username	Your username	Your name
Passwords	User & root passwords	Strong passwords
Timezone	Your timezone	Asia/Kolkata (for India)
Locale	Language/region	en_US.UTF-8
Encryption	LUKS disk encryption	Yes (recommended)
LVM	Logical Volume Manager	Yes (flexible)
Separate Home	Dedicated /home partition	No (unless dual disk)
Dual Boot	Windows/Linux setup	If needed

Method 2: Existing Arch System

Already have Arch installed? Just deploy dotfiles and applications.

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/adityamoghaa/aetherland.git ~/.dotfiles

# Navigate to dotfiles
cd ~/.dotfiles

# Run setup script
chmod +x setup.sh
./setup.sh

The setup script will:

• ✅ Install AUR helper (paru)
• ✅ Prompt for each component (Hyprland, dev Tools etc.)
• ✅ Backup existing configs
• ✅ Deploy dotfiles with GNU Stow
• ✅ Configure system optimizations

Logout and login for changes to take effect.

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Method 3: Just Dotfiles (No System Install)

Only want the configuration files? Manual deployment:

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/adityamoghaa/aetherland.git ~/.dotfiles
cd ~/.dotfiles

# Install GNU Stow
sudo pacman -S stow

# Backup existing configs
mkdir -p ~/.config-backup
mv ~/.config/hypr ~/.config-backup/ 2>/dev/null
mv ~/.config/waybar ~/.config-backup/ 2>/dev/null
mv ~/.zshrc ~/.config-backup/ 2>/dev/null

# Deploy dotfiles
stow *

# Verify
ls -la ~/.config/hypr  # Should show symlink

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📦 What's Included

Core System

Component	Description
Hyprland	Dynamic tiling Wayland compositor
Waybar	Status bar with modules
Rofi	Application launcher
Dunst	Notification daemon
Polkit	Authentication agent

Terminal Environment

Tool	Purpose
Wezterm	GPU-accelerated terminal
Zsh	Feature-rich shell
Starship	Cross-shell prompt
eza	Modern ls replacement
bat	cat with syntax highlighting
ripgrep	Fast search tool
fzf	Fuzzy finder
zoxide	Smart directory jumper

Development

Tool	Purpose
Neovim	Modal text editor
VS Code	Full IDE
Docker	Containerization
Git	Version control
GitHub CLI	GitHub integration

Optional (Prompted During Setup)

Category	Tools
ML/AI	Anaconda, Python, pip
Communication	Discord, Telegram
Media	Spotify, MPV, VLC
Browsers	Firefox, Google-Chrome

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⌨️ Keybindings

Window Management

Keybinding	Action
Super + Return	Open terminal
Super + Q	Close window
Super + F	Toggle fullscreen
Super + Space	Toggle floating
Super + J/K/L/H	Move focus (Vim-like)
Super + Shift + J/K/L/H	Move window
Super + Ctrl + J/K/L/H	Resize window
Super + Mouse	Move/resize window

Workspaces

Keybinding	Action
Super + 1-9	Switch to workspace 1-9
Super + Shift + 1-9	Move window to workspace
Super + Mouse wheel	Cycle workspaces
Super + Tab	Next workspace
Super + Shift + Tab	Previous workspace

Applications

Keybinding	Action
Super + Space	Application launcher (Rofi)
Super + E	File manager (Yazi)
Super + W	Browser (Firefox)
Super + SHIFT + V	Clipboard history

System

Keybinding	Action
Super + L	Lock screen
Super + X	Power menu
Super + esc	Reload Hyprland
Print	Screenshot (full)
Shift + Print	Screenshot (selection)

Media

Keybinding	Action
XF86AudioPlay	Play/Pause
XF86AudioNext	Next track
XF86AudioPrev	Previous track
XF86AudioRaiseVolume	Volume up
XF86AudioLowerVolume	Volume down
XF86AudioMute	Toggle mute
XF86MonBrightnessUp	Brightness up
XF86MonBrightnessDown	Brightness down

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🎨 Customization

Change Color Scheme

Waybar:

nvim ~/.config/waybar/colors.css
# Edit @define-color variables

Hyprland:

nvim ~/.config/hypr/modules/colors.conf
# Edit colors in decoration section

Wezterm:

nvim ~/.config/wezterm/wezterm.lua
# Change theme line

Modify Keybindings

nvim ~/.config/hypr/modules/keybind.conf
# Edit bind statements
# Format: bind = MODS, KEY, ACTION, PARAMS

Add Custom Scripts

# Create new script
nvim ~/.local/bin/my-script

# Make executable
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/my-script

# Use it
my-script

Change Terminal Font

nvim ~/.config/wezterm/wezterm.lua
# Modify font_family line

Modify Waybar Modules

nvim ~/.config/waybar/config
# Add/remove modules in modules-left/center/right

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💻 Hardware Optimizations

For Low RAM Systems

Included optimizations:

• TLP power management
• Swappiness reduced to 10
• Lightweight applications prioritized
• Minimal background services
• Efficient compositor settings

Manual tweaks:

# Check current swappiness
cat /proc/sys/vm/swappiness

# Adjust if needed
echo "vm.swappiness=5" | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.d/99-swappiness.conf

For GPU

Auto-configured during setup:

• AMDGPU driver (modern open-source)
• Vulkan support
• Power-efficient settings

Manual verification:

# Check GPU driver
lspci -k | grep -A 3 -i "VGA"

# Test Vulkan
vulkaninfo | grep -i "device name"

For Processor

Optimizations:

• Intel microcode updates
• CPU governor: powersave
• Turbo boost management
• Thermal throttling prevention

Check CPU governor:

cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor

Battery Life Improvements

# Enable TLP (already done in setup)
sudo systemctl enable --now tlp

# Check battery stats
sudo tlp-stat -b

# Laptop mode
sudo systemctl enable --now laptop-mode

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📁 Dotfiles Management with Stow

This repository uses GNU Stow for symlink management.

Structure

~/.dotfiles/
├── hypr/               # Hyprland package
│   └── .config/
│       └── hyprland/
├── waybar/             # Waybar package
│   └── .config/
│       └── waybar/
├── wezterm/              # Wezterm package
│   └── .config/
│       └── wezterm/
├── nvim/               # Neovim package
│   └── .config/
│       └── nvim/
├── zsh/                # Zsh package
│   ├── .zshrc
│   └── .zshenv
└── scripts/            # Custom scripts
    └── .local/
        └── bin/

Stow Commands

# Deploy package
stow package-name

# Remove package
stow -D package-name

# Re-deploy (update symlinks)
stow -R package-name

# Deploy all packages
stow */

# Dry run (see what would happen)
stow --no -v package-name


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## 🔧 Troubleshooting

### Hyprland won't start

```bash
# Check logs
cat ~/.local/share/hyprland/hyprland.log

# Test Hyprland
Hyprland

# If crashes, try from TTY
Ctrl + Alt + F2
hyprland

No internet after installation

# Check NetworkManager
sudo systemctl status NetworkManager

# Enable if needed
sudo systemctl enable --now NetworkManager

# Connect to WiFi
nmtui

Symlinks not working

# Verify structure
cd ~/.dotfiles
tree -L 3

# Re-stow everything
stow -R */

# Check symlinks
ls -la ~/.config/

Audio not working

# Check PipeWire status
systemctl --user status pipewire pipewire-pulse

# Restart audio
systemctl --user restart pipewire pipewire-pulse wireplumber

# Check volume
pamixer --get-volume

GPU acceleration not working

# Check driver
glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer"

# For AMD
lspci -k | grep -A 3 -i "VGA"

# Rebuild initramfs
sudo mkinitcpio -P

Screen tearing

# Edit Hyprland config
nvim ~/.config/hyprland/hyprland.conf

# Add/ensure:
# general {
#     allow_tearing = true
# }

High CPU usage

# Check processes
btop

# Disable animations
nvim ~/.config/hyprland/hyprland.conf
# Set animations:enabled = false

Installation fails

# Check install log
cat ~/install.log

# Verify internet
ping archlinux.org

# Update keyring
sudo pacman -Sy archlinux-keyring

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🙏 Credits & Inspiration

This configuration was inspired by these excellent dotfiles:

• ericmurphyxyz/dotfiles - Minimalist approach
• prasanthrangan/hyprdots - Beautiful Hyprland setup
• JaKooLit/Hyprland-Dots - Comprehensive configs
• mylinuxforwork/dotfiles - ML-series inspiration
• dreamsofautonomy/arch-from-scratch - Installation methodology

Special Thanks

• Hyprland team - Amazing Wayland compositor
• Arch Linux community - Best documentation
• r/unixporn - Endless inspiration

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📊 System Information

Tested on:

• Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Series
• Intel Core i3-6006U @ 2.00GHz
• AMD Radeon R5 M330 (2GB)
• 4GB DDR3 RAM
• 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD

Compatibility:

• Any x86_64 system with UEFI
• 2GB+ RAM (4GB+ recommended)
• 20GB+ storage
• Intel/AMD/NVIDIA graphics

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📝 To-Do

• Add more color scheme options
• Create installation video tutorial
• Add fully script-based installation
• Improve power management scripts
• Add automatic backup script
• Create GUI configuration tool

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you have improvements:

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

TL;DR: You can use, modify, and distribute this freely. Credit appreciated but not required.

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⭐ Star History

If this project helped you, consider giving it a star! ⭐

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Made with ❤️ by a CS student who loves tinkering

Optimized for productivity • Designed for students • Built for low-spec systems

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