How I setup Linux for development

I frequently set up my PC or laptop, whether it's for starting a new job or performing a fresh install on my personal machine. My operating system of choice for development is Ubuntu 22.04 (I also dual-boot Windows for CAD software and gaming). I'm primarily a robotics engineer, so most of my needs will revolve around python/c++.

Getting started

When installing Ubuntu, I opt for the minimal version, which provides a barebones setup with nothing pre-installed. Everything else is added manually. This approach ensures a bloat-free environment that remains lightweight and fast. The first steps I take are as follows:
• Install git and setup git
• Install zsh along with plugins
• Install apps
• Linux Ricing

Install git and setup config

Ubuntu's default packed manager is apt, and I use the terminal along with apt to install everything.

To install git -

I frequently set up my PC or laptop, whether it's for starting a new job or performing a fresh install on my personal machine. My operating system of choice for development is Ubuntu 22.04 (I also dual-boot Windows for CAD software and gaming). I'm primarily a robotics engineer, so most of my needs will revolve around python/c++.

Getting started

When installing Ubuntu, I opt for the minimal version, which provides a barebones setup with nothing pre-installed. Everything else is added manually. This approach ensures a bloat-free environment that remains lightweight and fast. The first steps I take are as follows:
• Install git and setup git
• Install zsh along with plugins
• Install apps
• Linux Ricing

Install git and setup config

Ubuntu's default packed manager is apt, and I use the terminal along with apt to install everything.

To install git -

sudo apt install git

Next generate ssh keys to distribute. 

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

If you need access to multiple git accounts, you could generate separate git keys for each and create a git config. Create a config file in your ~/.ssh folder, for example -

# Public account
Host adsm
	HostName github.com
	IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_adsm
	User git
	IdentitiesOnly yes

# Personal account
Host personal
	HostName github.com
	IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_personal
	User git
	IdentitiesOnly yes

To check if your ~/.ssh/config is working, run the following -

To check if your ~/.ssh/config is working, run the following -

ssh -T git@adsm
ssh -T git

Finally! To clone a repo and use the personal key you would use the following format -

git clone git

Install zsh along with plugins

Instead of the regular bash shell that comes with ubuntu I prefer using the zsh shell, purely because of 3 plugins -

1. Autocomplete plugin - for terminal autocomplete
2. Autosuggestions plugin - for terminal suggestions
3. Colorscript - for some cool terminal art

To install zsh, launch it and set it as your default shell -

Install zsh along with plugins

Instead of the regular bash shell that comes with ubuntu I prefer using the zsh shell, purely because of 3 plugins -

1. Autocomplete plugin - for terminal autocomplete
2. Autosuggestions plugin - for terminal suggestions
3. Colorscript - for some cool terminal art

To install zsh, launch it and set it as your default shell -

sudo apt install zsh

## To launch it
zsh

## Set zsh as default for your user
sudo chsh -s $(which zsh) $USER

When you first launch , I ignore the suggestion to automatically set up the zshrc file and manually change it later. I then git clone all the plugins in one folder and set up my zshrc file as follows -

#Enable colours and change prompt
# %F{color} sets the color
# %n is username
# %M is full hostname
# %f resets formatting
# %~ is current working directory
autoload -U colors && colors
PS1="%B%{$fg[red]%}[%{$fg[yellow]%}%n%{$fg[green]%}@%{$fg[blue]%}%M %{$fg[magenta]%}%~%{$fg[red]%}]%{$reset_color%}$%b "

# Keep 10000 lines of history within the shell and save it to ~/.zsh_history:
HISTSIZE=10000
SAVEHIST=10000
HISTFILE=~/.zsh_history

#ZSH-Plugins
source ~/rice/zsh-syntax-highlighting/zsh-syntax-highlighting.zsh  # Syntax highlighting
source ~/rice/zsh-autosuggestions/zsh-autosuggestions.zsh # Auto suggestions!

#Colorscript
colorscript -e 19

Install Apps

I use apt to install almost all my apps, which include -

• obsidian - note taking
• nordvpn - vpn
• nordpass - password manager
• slack - communication
• visual studio code - development
• spotify - music
• docker - development
• bazel - development

Linux ricing -

Finally I customize the look and feel of ubuntu. The technical term for this is called "ricing". Check out r/unixporn for some cool Linux rices. Here are a couple of my rices, with varying themes :)

The themes I have used for the above rice are the rose pine dawn theme (which is also the theme for this website) and the catpuccin mocha theme. Both have support for theming multiple softwares and apps! Check out their websites to learn more.

How to streamline/make this process quicker

If you’ve ever set up a Linux system, you may have noticed that most application configuration files are stored in hidden files, commonly referred to as "dotfiles." For instance, Git uses the .gitconfig file, Vim relies on .vimrc, and Zsh utilizes .zshrc, among others.

One great way to manage your dotfiles is by pushing them to a GitHub repository. To streamline the setup process even further, you can create installation scripts that automate the installation of your preferred tools and customizations. This means you can transform the appearance of your system and configure your development environment with just a single command. For inspiration, check out r/unixporn, where you’ll find countless examples of stunning setups.

By organizing your dotfiles and crafting effective install scripts, you can ensure that you’ll never have to set up your development environment from scratch again!