I wanted to have a separate laptop where I only use the terminal for my use cases. At the moment I am somewhat confident using the terminal, but I think limiting myself to tty only would build my confidence even more. Any tips?

EDIT: I am already using nvim and I already have installed a minimal distro (Arch). I just need advice on how to actually run this system effectively.

  • 柊 つかさ@lemmy.world
    171·
    2 months ago
    • set a good tty font (it’s almost all you’re gonna see)
    • be comfy with basic core utils (mv, cp, chmod, …)
    • choose a shell (bash, fish, …) and set up some useful aliases/abbreviations
    • fzf or something similar does wonders (also replaces things like dmenu)
    • terminal multiplexers are used instead of window managers
    • some applications allow you to do some graphics (like mpv to play video)
    • there is more advanced stuff you can do with frame buffers
    • there are terminal browsers like w3m or lynx
    • a good extensible text editor is essential (vim, nvim, emacs, helix, …)
    • research some cli applications for your usecase (cal (calendar), neomutt (email), …)

    Over time your collection of aliases and scripts will grow to make common tasks you do easier.

    • theshyprisoner@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      21·
      2 months ago

      Thanks a lot, I’ll definitely try the terminal multiplexers you’re talking about. I wondered how you would get different windows in tty.

    • theshyprisoner@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      41·
      2 months ago

      Well yeah, but I want to know any tips on doing it effectively. If I just “don’t install a DE” I wouldn’t know where to go from there.

  • markstos@lemmy.world
    4·
    2 months ago

    I built a console-only laptop once for financial reasons. I wanted something to travel with on a trip and was donated a laptop that, I think 20 MB of RAM after I upgraded it. I was able to run vim, perl and mutt was very tolerable performance.

    I don’t think there’s really special tips. Pick a goal of some tasks to accomplish. Work towards them, discover the rough edges and find solutions for them. If you install everyone else’s favorite CLI apps, you can end up more than you need.

    All that said, if I had the memory to run a GUI, I probably would have do so. But I wasn’t going to have a lot of time for web browsing and other laptop on that trip anyway.

  • arcosenautic@lemmy.world
    41·
    2 months ago

    Like others said, you can try installing Arch manually (not with the install script). You get the hang of the terminal and you get to see a bit more of how Linux works under the hood. The wiki is your friend, spend some time reading it!

    • theshyprisoner@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      11·
      2 months ago

      I actually am using a manual Arch install. What i meant by gaining confidence is completely abandoning xorg and using the tty only.

      • lemmyvore@feddit.nlEnglish
        7·
        2 months ago

        Look into terminal multiplexers like screen or tmux, they are a sort of “window” system for tty.

        There are text-only browsers but I’m not sure they’ll be usable on today’s websites. May want to set your tty to a graphical mode (framebuffer) and use a mixed-mode browser that can render images and some other stuff.

    • theshyprisoner@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
      21·
      2 months ago

      Messaging, reading, school work, watching anime, music, web browsing (may not be able to do this one nicely though). My use cases are very simple to implement on tty-only I think.

      • steeznson@lemmy.world
        2·
        2 months ago

        It is possible to watch movie files rendered in ascii with ffmpeg but I wouldn’t recommend it. Playing videos any other way requires a graphical interface.

        Web browsing is possible with links, w3m and eww-mode on emacs.

        You will struggle with school work. Eduroam is hard to connect to using the CLI for example.

        • theshyprisoner@lemmy.mlOPEnglish
          1·
          2 months ago

          I was able to use mpv to watch some anime I had downloaded on tty. Does this mean this was only possible because I already had xorg installed and running (I was using qtile prior to that)? I’m not sure if that’s how that works though.

          • steeznson@lemmy.world
            2·
            2 months ago

            Yeah you’ve got xorg running if graphics are being drawn, like windows or specifically windows with borders

  • frankenswine@lemmy.world
    21·
    2 months ago

    Just go for it! It’ll be fun. You will find yourself navigating your digital life (or at least: most of it) at relative ease with less distractions and graphical fuzz you otherwise get.

    Getting to know terminal multiplexer (like screen) or vi-keys are crucial skills for anyone who is not afraid from working on “headless” machines!