xmonad + gnome config (for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS)

Getting Started

We begin here with a fresh install of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. After doing some basic updating of packages, etc., we just need to install some things to get going with xmonad + gnome.

Installing xmonad and related things

This is the base of the things you'll need to get xmonad+gnome to work.

sudo apt-get install xmonad
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gekkio/xmonad
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-session-xmonad

Additional things

These are some additional things that you'll need to get the xmonad config + xmobar config to work.

Start by getting stack and suckless-tools. Suckless-tools gives you dmenu, stack lets you install xmobar and yeganesh (useful wrapper thing for dmenu).

sudo apt-get install suckless-tools cabal-install
sudo apt-get install haskell-stack
stack update
stack upgrade
stack setup

Install yeganesh.

stack install yeganesh

Install the latest version of xmobar.

sudo apt-get install libiw-dev
stack install --flag xmobar:all_extensions xmobar

Note the xmobar install might tell you to add some stuff to your stack.yaml file. Just follow those instructions. (stack.yaml should be located in ~/.stack/global-project) Might also need:

sudo apt install libasound2-dev
sudo apt install libxpm-dev

What to do with xmonad.hs and xmobar.hs?

Put them in ~/.xmonad which is a directory you'll have to create yourself. The 'lib' folder also needs to go into the ~/.xmonad folder.

To get to xmonad + gnome

Log out, click on the gear, select the one that says xmonad + gnome. Log in. There are some things you will need to run (only once) to get various gnome panels out of the way of xmonad.

To get rid of the gnome-flashback panel:

dconf write /org/gnome/gnome-panel/layout/toplevel-id-list "['']"

To get rid of the desktop icons and the issue with the gnome desktop drawing over xmonad/xmobar (this seems to be a 20.04 related issue):

gsettings set org.gnome.gnome-flashback root-background true
gsettings set org.gnome.gnome-flashback desktop false

Miscellaneous

Icon pack and fonts

Install the papirus icon theme! Personally I am also particular to Inconsolata as a font.

Terminal appearance

To import gnome terminal profile, run:

dconf load /org/gnome/terminal/legacy/profiles:/ < NAME_OF_FILE.dconf

To get rid of the enormous headerbar,

gsettings set org.gnome.Terminal.Legacy.Settings headerbar false

Git

sudo apt install git

Latex

sudo apt install texlive texlive-latex-extra cm-super

Also for pdf viewer Zathura for integration with vim:

sudo apt install zathura xdotool

Vim

Put the .vimrc file in home directory.

sudo apt install vim
curl -fLo ~/.vim/autoload/plug.vim --create-dirs \
    https://raw.githubusercontent.com/junegunn/vim-plug/master/plug.vim

Open vim and :PlugInstall to have vim-plug install plugins as listed in .vimrc.

Also make sure to install vim-gtk3 so the copy/paste options interact with system clipboard.

Firefox

In preferences, density is Compact and Title Bar is checked.

Screenshots

Disable the default keyboard shortcuts for screenshots, custom gnome-screenshot command (ssarea.sh in ~/.local/bin):

#!/bin/bash
## Screenshot Area Script
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d-%H:%M:%S)
gnome-screenshot -c -a -f /home/USER/Pictures/Screenshots/Screenshot-$DATE.png

In gnome control center, keyboard shortcut command: sh -c '/home/<USER>/.local/bin/ssarea.sh'

Make it executable with sudo chmod a+x '/home/<USER>/.local/bin/ssarea.sh'

Titlebar

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences button-layout :

GTK Themes/Grub Themes

I'm quite fond of Equilux, Nordic Darker, or Kripton (with a few modifications).

Use sudo apt-get install grub-customizer to get the grub customizer to edit list entries. Install a nice grub theme off the internet. :)

Dual boot time issue

timedatectl set-local-rtc 1 --adjust-system-clock