5 ms·

I trimmed down my linux machine more and more, but I still need linux for some usages (I stream and use OBS for one). But I use OpenBSD on a dozen of servers I

by kuon 2y ago

I trimmed down my linux machine more and more, but I still need linux for some usages (I stream and use OBS for one). But I use OpenBSD on a dozen of servers I manage, it is rock solid for many (not all) usages. I really like those simple desktop environment where you have a good understanding of the machine you are using. I do use ranger as file manager, it is heavier than walk, but it is very capable and scriptable while staying quite simple.

SoftTalker 2y ago
I've never felt that file managers bring much to the table. I use the shell.
- skydhash 2y ago
  It's Vim vs Ed. The shell is all powerful but sometimes it's easier to yyhpl (select the file for copying, then paste a symbolic link in the parent directory) than typing the commands to do so even with shell completion. Sometimes having visual feedback is good. But a GUI FM doesn't bring that much. I spend as much time with Ranger as Finder on macOS.
  - accrual 2y ago
    Are there any good lightweight file managers if one did want to use a GUI? Using the shell is second nature to me but sometimes it's nice to browse with a mouse.
    - _mlbt 2y ago
      Midnight Commander is a good TUI file manager. https://midnight-commander.org/ https://midnight-commander.org/
    - squarefoot 2y ago
      Take a look at double commander: https://doublecmd.sourceforge.io/ https://doublecmd.sourceforge.io/ However, if you use a desktop manager such as Xfce, the file manager (Thunar in this case) is built in and can be configured with traditional double window arrangement.
    - sach1 2y ago
      PCManFM is another good one if you're looking for a lightweight GUI file browser.
  - Koshkin 2y ago
    > It's Vim vs Ed. No, not really.
- DEADMINCE 2y ago
  Different tools have different strengths. There is some stuff you can do in a graphical file manager that would take you significantly longer to do on a shell.
fsflover 2y ago
This reminds me of Debian- and Fedora-minimal on Qubes OS: https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/templates/minimal/ https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/templates/minimal/
- TacticalCoder 2y ago
  I always begin with a Debian minimal install (on bare metal though, not on Qube): no GUI. Just a minimal install, disk encryption/LUKS and booting to a text console. From there I install X, the awesome WM (a tiling WM) etc. It feels very light (despite the systemd monster of a PID1 and overreach spreading its tentacles everywhere around the system). Needless to say: when I'm on my wife's Ubuntu desktop, it feels very heavy compared to my very minimalistic Debian / Xorg / tiling WM.
  - einpoklum 2y ago
    Debian can't be mininal these days, because it has the systemd behemoth. Try a minimalistic Devuan instead.
    - Koshkin 2y ago
      I would, I just can't get over the name.
      - fsflover 2y ago
        Did you just say that a dictatorship would be better than a democracy?
vundercind 2y ago
Every now and then I poke my head back into GUI Linux-land to see how it’s doing (never any better, it seems) and the last time I found much to enjoy about the experience was when I tried out Void Linux on a “weak” Asus chrome box—probably 6-8x more powerful than the laptop I used in the early and mid ‘00s, but webshit makes that feel slow, no mainstream web browser was usable at all, only stripped-down WebKit browsers were sorta OK. It’s got that sense of actually knowing WTF your machine is doing that’s so hard to come by these days, but isn’t masochistically awkward to use (I ran Gentoo for a long time :-) ) If Macs ever go to shit, Void’s my current frontrunner for a Linux distro if I can’t get FreeBSD working ok on a laptop.
- bee_rider 2y ago
  GUIs on Linux seem mostly fine in the sense that you can just use a tiling WM and terminals. Now you have a computer that you can use properly. You mostly use one terminal full screen, but if you have to you can pop open another one and they’ll arrange themselves nicely. Tmux can do this of course, but sometimes you have a nice tmux layout all set up and don’t want to mess with it. Plus you can also open a web browser if you want to goof around and comment on HN. And you’ll even have X installed if somebody manages to find some use for non-terminal programs (unlikely but we should admit the possibility).
  - ykonstant 2y ago
    Recently, I managed to get fbterm working decently on my linux; this way I can read pdf, watch movies, write code, browse parts of the web, and if I manage to get Qutebrowser working on fbterm, I'll be able to do proper web browsing without X! Plus there's the coolness points about doing this without X: https://ykonstant1.github.io/fbvoid.png https://ykonstant1.github.io/fbvoid.png For games, I have had some success startx'ing some in their own X context.
    - anthk 2y ago
      You can do that without fbterm. Check fbpdf2, mpv -vo drm, links -g, and so on. Also, on games: export SDL_VIDEODRIVER=fbcon or kmsdrm depending on the case.

by kuon 2y ago

SoftTalker 2y ago

I've never felt that file managers bring much to the table. I use the shell.

skydhash 2y ago
It's Vim vs Ed. The shell is all powerful but sometimes it's easier to yyhpl (select the file for copying, then paste a symbolic link in the parent directory) than typing the commands to do so even with shell completion. Sometimes having visual feedback is good. But a GUI FM doesn't bring that much. I spend as much time with Ranger as Finder on macOS.
- accrual 2y ago
  Are there any good lightweight file managers if one did want to use a GUI? Using the shell is second nature to me but sometimes it's nice to browse with a mouse.
  - _mlbt 2y ago
    Midnight Commander is a good TUI file manager. https://midnight-commander.org/ https://midnight-commander.org/
  - squarefoot 2y ago
    Take a look at double commander: https://doublecmd.sourceforge.io/ https://doublecmd.sourceforge.io/ However, if you use a desktop manager such as Xfce, the file manager (Thunar in this case) is built in and can be configured with traditional double window arrangement.
  - sach1 2y ago
    PCManFM is another good one if you're looking for a lightweight GUI file browser.
- Koshkin 2y ago
  > It's Vim vs Ed. No, not really.
DEADMINCE 2y ago
Different tools have different strengths. There is some stuff you can do in a graphical file manager that would take you significantly longer to do on a shell.

fsflover 2y ago

This reminds me of Debian- and Fedora-minimal on Qubes OS: https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/templates/minimal/ https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/templates/minimal/

TacticalCoder 2y ago
I always begin with a Debian minimal install (on bare metal though, not on Qube): no GUI. Just a minimal install, disk encryption/LUKS and booting to a text console. From there I install X, the awesome WM (a tiling WM) etc. It feels very light (despite the systemd monster of a PID1 and overreach spreading its tentacles everywhere around the system). Needless to say: when I'm on my wife's Ubuntu desktop, it feels very heavy compared to my very minimalistic Debian / Xorg / tiling WM.
- einpoklum 2y ago
  Debian can't be mininal these days, because it has the systemd behemoth. Try a minimalistic Devuan instead.
  - Koshkin 2y ago
    I would, I just can't get over the name.
    - fsflover 2y ago
      Did you just say that a dictatorship would be better than a democracy?

vundercind 2y ago

Every now and then I poke my head back into GUI Linux-land to see how it’s doing (never any better, it seems) and the last time I found much to enjoy about the experience was when I tried out Void Linux on a “weak” Asus chrome box—probably 6-8x more powerful than the laptop I used in the early and mid ‘00s, but webshit makes that feel slow, no mainstream web browser was usable at all, only stripped-down WebKit browsers were sorta OK. It’s got that sense of actually knowing WTF your machine is doing that’s so hard to come by these days, but isn’t masochistically awkward to use (I ran Gentoo for a long time :-) ) If Macs ever go to shit, Void’s my current frontrunner for a Linux distro if I can’t get FreeBSD working ok on a laptop.

bee_rider 2y ago
GUIs on Linux seem mostly fine in the sense that you can just use a tiling WM and terminals. Now you have a computer that you can use properly. You mostly use one terminal full screen, but if you have to you can pop open another one and they’ll arrange themselves nicely. Tmux can do this of course, but sometimes you have a nice tmux layout all set up and don’t want to mess with it. Plus you can also open a web browser if you want to goof around and comment on HN. And you’ll even have X installed if somebody manages to find some use for non-terminal programs (unlikely but we should admit the possibility).
- ykonstant 2y ago
  Recently, I managed to get fbterm working decently on my linux; this way I can read pdf, watch movies, write code, browse parts of the web, and if I manage to get Qutebrowser working on fbterm, I'll be able to do proper web browsing without X! Plus there's the coolness points about doing this without X: https://ykonstant1.github.io/fbvoid.png https://ykonstant1.github.io/fbvoid.png For games, I have had some success startx'ing some in their own X context.
  - anthk 2y ago
    You can do that without fbterm. Check fbpdf2, mpv -vo drm, links -g, and so on. Also, on games: export SDL_VIDEODRIVER=fbcon or kmsdrm depending on the case.