WebFramp

By Request: ZSH config

sean — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:31:14 +0000

Somebody asked for it, so here’s my zsh configuration, cobbled together from various bits around the internet.

A screenshot of the two prompts, Aarron’s, then Phil’s:

All 3 files can be downloaded here: webframp-zsh.tar.gz

The main .zshrc:

# zsh user configuration file.
# Used by: Sean Escriva 
#
ZSHROOT="${HOME}/.zsh"
WORDCHARS=${WORDCHARS:s,/,,}
umask 002 # less secure
#umask 077 # more secure
 
# vi is the editor, emacs for ZLE
bindkey -e
# or
# vi all the time
#bindkey -v
 
# MODULES
zmodload zsh/complist
autoload -Uz compinit && compinit
autoload -Uz colors && colors
autoload -Uz zsh-mime-setup && zsh-mime-setup
 
# FUNCTIONS
bindkey "\e[1~" beginning-of-line
bindkey "\e[4~" end-of-line
bindkey "\e[5~" beginning-of-history
bindkey "\e[6~" end-of-history
bindkey "\e[3~" delete-char
bindkey "\e[2~" quoted-insert
bindkey "\e[5C" forward-word
bindkey "\eOc" emacs-forward-word
bindkey "\e[5D" backward-word
bindkey "\eOd" emacs-backward-word
bindkey "\e\e[C" forward-word
bindkey "\e\e[D" backward-word
bindkey "^H" backward-delete-word
# for rxvt
bindkey "\e[8~" end-of-line
bindkey "\e[7~" beginning-of-line
# for non RH/Debian xterm, can't hurt for RH/DEbian xterm
bindkey "\eOH" beginning-of-line
bindkey "\eOF" end-of-line
# for freebsd console
bindkey "\e[H" beginning-of-line
bindkey "\e[F" end-of-line
# completion in the middle of a line
bindkey '^i' expand-or-complete-prefix
 
# patten search history
bindkey '^R' history-incremental-pattern-search-backward
bindkey '[^R' history-incremental-pattern-search-forward
 
# OPTIONS
# may try inc_append_history instead of share_history
# require fc -RI to import new hist entries though
setopt \
autocd \
autolist \
autopushd \
autoresume \
append_history \
banghist \
beep \
correct	\
correctall \
cdablevars \
NO_clobber \
NO_checkjobs \
extendedglob \
NO_flowcontrol \
globdots \
histsavenodups \
histfindnodups \
histignorealldups \
histignorespace \
histreduceblanks \
histverify \
sharehistory \
NO_hup \
longlistjobs \
NO_mailwarning \
multios \
notify \
pathdirs \
pushdtohome	\
pushdignoredups \
pushdminus \
pushdsilent	\
rcquotes \
recexact 
 
unsetopt \
bgnice \
autoparamslash
 
# ALIASES
alias l='ls -F -h --color'
alias ls='ls -F -h --color'
alias ll='ls -l -F -h --color'
alias la='ls -a -F -h --color'
alias lla='ls -l -a -F -h --color'
alias mv='nocorrect mv'
alias cd='nocorrect cd'
alias cp='nocorrect cp'
alias mkdir='nocorrect mkdir'
alias man='nocorrect man'
alias find='noglob find'
alias gcc='nocorrect gcc'
alias scp='nocorrect scp'
alias grepc='grep --color=always'
alias myip='print ${${$(LC_ALL=C /sbin/ifconfig eth0)[7]}:gs/addr://}'
alias xp='xprop | grep "WM_WINDOW_ROLE\|WM_CLASS\|^WM_NAME"' 
 
# command equivalents
alias -g L='|less'
alias -g S='&> /dev/null &'
alias -g G='|grep'
alias -g GC='|grep --color=always'
 
# Now for the stupid aliases (mostly my stupidity)
alias sl='ls'
alias cdd='cd'
alias mmv='mv'
 
alias zshrc='vim ~/.zshrc'
alias x='startx'
alias v='vim'
alias startwin='VBoxManage startvm Vista'
alias stopwin='VBoxManage controlvm Vista savestate'
 
# suffix aliases
alias -s flac=mplayer
alias -s mp3=mplayer
alias -s ogg=mplayer
alias -s wav=mplayer
alias -s avi=mplayer
alias -s mpeg=mplayer
alias -s mpg=mplayer
alias -s wmv=mplayer
alias -s org=$BROWSER
alias -s com=$BROWSER
alias -s net=$BROWSER
alias -s html=$BROWSER
alias -s bmp=feh
alias -s png=feh
alias -s jpg=feh
alias -s jpeg=feh
alias -s gif=feh
alias -s odt=oowriter
alias -s sxw=oowriter
alias -s doc=oowriter
alias -s pdf=apvlv
alias -s pyc=python
alias -s PKGBUILD=$EDITOR
 
# COMPSYS
zstyle -e ':completion:*:approximate:*' max-errors 'reply=( $(( ($#PREFIX + $#SUFFIX) / 3 )) )'
#zstyle ':completion:*:descriptions' format "- %d -"
#zstyle ':completion:*:corrections' format "- %d - (errors %e})"
zstyle ':completion:*:default' list-prompt '%S%M matches%s' # display list, below prompt.
zstyle ':completion:*' group-name ''
zstyle ':completion:*:manuals' separate-sections true
zstyle ':completion:*:manuals.(^1*)' insert-sections true
zstyle ':completion:*' menu select
zstyle ':completion:*' verbose yes
zstyle ':completion:*' list-colors ''
zstyle ':completion:*' list-colors "$LS_COLORS"
 
# caching
zstyle ':completion:*' use-cache on
zstyle ':completion:*' cache-path ~/.zsh/completion.cache
# remove slash if argument is a directory
zstyle ':completion:*' squeeze-slashes true
# history
zstyle ':completion:*:history-words' stop yes
zstyle ':completion:*:history-words' remove-all-dups yes
zstyle ':completion:*:history-words' list false
zstyle ':completion:*:history-words' menu yes
 
zstyle ':completion:*:descriptions' format $'%{\e[0;31m%}completing %B%d%b%{\e[0m%}'
zstyle ':completion:*:corrections' format $'%{\e[0;31m%}%d (errors: %e)%}'
zstyle ':completion:*:messages' format '%d'
zstyle ':completion:*:warnings' format $'%{\e[0;31m%}No matches for:%{\e[0m%} %d'
zstyle ':completion:*:corrections' format '%B%d (errors: %e)%b'
zstyle ':completion:*' format 'completing %d'
zstyle ':completion:*' format $'%{\e[0;31m%}completing %B%d%b%{\e[0m%}'
zstyle ':completion:*' group-name ''
zstyle ':completion:*' verbose yes
 
# cd directory stack menu
zstyle ':completion:*:*:cd:*:directory-stack' menu yes select
 
# approximation
zstyle ':completion:*' completer _complete _match _approximate
zstyle ':completion:*:match:*' original only
zstyle -e ':completion:*:approximate:*' max-errors 'reply=( $(( ($#PREFIX+$#SUFFIX)/3 )) numeric )'
 
# array completion element sorting
zstyle ':completion:*:*:-subscript-:*' tag-order indexes parameters
 
# ssh, scp, ping, host
test ! -d "$HOME/.ssh" && mkdir "$HOME/.ssh"
test ! -f "$HOME/.ssh/known_hosts" && touch "$HOME/.ssh/known_hosts"
test ! -f "$HOME/.ssh/config" && touch "$HOME/.ssh/config"
 
zstyle ':completion:*:(scp|rsync):*' tag-order \
        'hosts:-host hosts:-domain:domain hosts:-ipaddr:IP\ address *'
zstyle ':completion:*:(scp|rsync):*' group-order \
        users files all-files hosts-domain hosts-host hosts-ipaddr
zstyle ':completion:*:ssh:*' tag-order \
        users 'hosts:-host hosts:-domain:domain hosts:-ipaddr:IP\ address *'
zstyle ':completion:*:ssh:*' group-order \
        hosts-domain hosts-host users hosts-ipaddr
 
zstyle ':completion:*:(ssh|scp|rsync):*:hosts-host' ignored-patterns \
        '*.*' loopback localhost
zstyle ':completion:*:(ssh|scp|rsync):*:hosts-domain' ignored-patterns \
        '<->.<->.<->.<->' '^*.*' '*@*'
zstyle ':completion:*:(ssh|scp|rsync):*:hosts-ipaddr' ignored-patterns \
        '^<->.<->.<->.<->' '127.0.0.<->'
zstyle ':completion:*:(ssh|scp|rsync):*:users' ignored-patterns \
        adm bin daemon halt lp named shutdown sync
 
zstyle -e ':completion:*:(ssh|scp|ping|host|nmap|rsync):*' hosts 'reply=(
        ${=${${(f)"$(cat {/etc/ssh_,~/.ssh/known_}hosts(|2)(N) \
                        /dev/null)"}%%[#| ]*}//,/ }
        ${=${(f)"$(cat /etc/hosts(|)(N) <<(ypcat hosts 2>/dev/null))"}%%\#*}
        ${=${${${${(@M)${(f)"$(<~/.ssh/config)"}:#Host *}#Host }:#*\**}:#*\?*}}
        )'
 
# kill
#zstyle ':completion:*:*:kill:*:processes' list-colors "=(#b) #([0-9]#)*=$color[cyan]=$color[red]"
zstyle ':completion:*:*:kill:*:processes' list-colors '=(#b) #([0-9]#)*=0=01;31'
zstyle ':completion:*:*:kill:*' menu yes select
zstyle ':completion:*:kill:*' force-list always
zstyle ':completion:*:kill:*' command 'ps -u $USER -o pid,%cpu,tty,cputime,cmd'
zstyle ':completion:*:kill:*' insert-ids single
zstyle ':completion:*:*:kill:*' menu yes select
zstyle ':completion:*:kill:*' force-list always
zstyle ':completion:*:processes' command 'ps -u $USER -o pid,%cpu,tty,cputime,cmd'
 
# man
zstyle ':completion:*:man:*' separate-sections true
 
# mutt
if [[ -f ~/.mutt/aliases ]]; then
    zstyle ':completion:*:*:mutt:*' menu yes select
    zstyle ':completion:*:mutt:*' users ${${${(f)"$(<~/.mutt/aliases)"}#alias[[:space:]]}%%[[:space:]]*}
fi
 
# mp3 players
zstyle ':completion:*:*:mpg123:*' file-patterns '*.(mp3|MP3):mp3\ files *(-/):directories'
zstyle ':completion:*:*:mpg321:*' file-patterns '*.(mp3|MP3):mp3\ files *(-/):directories'
zstyle ':completion:*:*:ogg123:*' file-patterns '*.(ogg|OGG|flac):ogg\ files *(-/):directories'
zstyle ':completion:*:*:mocp:*' file-patterns '*.(wav|WAV|mp3|MP3|ogg|OGG|flac):ogg\ files *(-/):directories'
 
# ?
zstyle ':completion::*:(-command-|export):*' fake-parameters ${${${_comps[(I)-value-*]#*,}%%,*}:#-*-}
zstyle ':completion:*:-tilde-:*' group-order 'named-directories' 'path-directories' 'users' 'expand'
 
# ignore completion functions for commands you don't have
zstyle ':completion:*:functions' ignored-patterns '(_*|pre(cmd|exec))'
 
# Prevent CVS/SVN files/directories from being completed
zstyle ':completion:*:(all-|)files' ignored-patterns '(|*/)CVS'
zstyle ':completion:*:cd:*' ignored-patterns '(*/)#CVS'
 
# Prevent lost+found directory from being completed
zstyle ':completion:*:cd:*' ignored-patterns '(*/)#lost+found'
 
# Ignore completion functions for commands you don't have:
zstyle ':completion:*:functions' ignored-patterns '_*'
 
# Ignore same file on rm
zstyle ':completion:*:(rm|kill|diff):*' ignore-line yes
zstyle ':completion:*:rm:*' file-patterns '*:all-files'
 
# Ignore all for mcd
zstyle ':completion:*:mcd:*' ignored-patterns '*'
zstyle ':completion:*:wine:*' file-patterns '*.(exe|EXE):exe'
 
# add gnu default completions
compdef _gnu_generic ctags
 
# automagic url quoter
autoload -U url-quote-magic
zle -N self-insert url-quote-magic
 
# ENV
fpath=(
	$zdotdir/{.[z]sh/*.zwc,{.[z]sh,[l]ib/zsh}/{functions,scripts}}(N)
	$fpath
	/usr/share/zsh/${ZSH_VERSION}/[F]unctions(N)
)
 
for dirname in $fpath; do
	fns=( $dirname/*-*-(N.x:t) )
	(( $#fns )) && autoload "$fns[@]"
done
typeset -gU fpath
 
freload () {
	while (( $# )); do
		unfunction $1;
		autoload -U $1;
		shift;
	done
}
 
# For those times when we may get confused =]
setenv () {
	typeset -x "${1}${1:+=}${(@)argv[2,$#]}"
}
 
# OS specific stuff for different systems I work on.
case `uname` in
	FreeBSD)
		LSCOLORS="ExFxcxdxbxEgababagacad"
		;;
	NetBSD)
		manpath=($manpath /usr/pkg/man); export MANPATH
		;;
	Darwin)
		LSCOLORS="ExFxcxdxbxEgababagacad"
		;;
	Linux)
		manpath=($manpath /opt/man); export MANPATH
		;;
	*)
		;;
esac
 
# Manual page paths
setopt ALL_EXPORT
manpath=(/usr/man /usr/local/man /usr/share/man /usr/local/share/man)
 
# Automatically remove duplicates from these arrays
typeset -U path cdpath fpath manpath
 
# History
HISTFILE=${HOME}/.zhistory
HISTSIZE=3000 # huge hist file
SAVEHIST=3000
DIRSTACKSIZE=20 # rarely need more than that
PATH=/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/usr/games:/usr/lib/surfraw:/opt/kde/bin:/opt/java/bin:/usr/lib/git-core
HOSTNAME=`hostname`
BROWSER="/usr/bin/firefox"
PAGER=less
LESS='-RMS'
EDITOR="vim"
# Colorize STDERR red, from gentoowiki
#exec 2>>(while read line; do print '\e[91m'${(q)line}'\e[0m' > /dev/tty; done &)
# setup a bunch of fancy colors
DARCS_ALWAYS_COLOR=1
DARCS_DO_COLOR_LINES=1
LS_COLORS='no=00:fi=00:di=01;34:ln=01;36:pi=40;33:so=01;35:do=01;35:bd=40;33;01:cd=40;33;01:or=40;31;01:su=37;41:sg=30;43:tw=30;42:ow=34;42:st=37;44:ex=01;32:*.tar=01;31:*.tgz=01;31:*.svgz=01;31:*.arj=01;31:*.taz=01;31:*.lzh=01;31:*.lzma=01;31:*.zip=01;31:*.z=01;31:*.Z=01;31:*.dz=01;31:*.gz=01;31:*.bz2=01;31:*.bz=01;31:*.tbz2=01;31:*.tz=01;31:*.deb=01;31:*.rpm=01;31:*.jar=01;31:*.rar=01;31:*.ace=01;31:*.zoo=01;31:*.cpio=01;31:*.7z=01;31:*.rz=01;31:*.jpg=01;35:*.jpeg=01;35:*.gif=01;35:*.bmp=01;35:*.pbm=01;35:*.pgm=01;35:*.ppm=01;35:*.tga=01;35:*.xbm=01;35:*.xpm=01;35:*.tif=01;35:*.tiff=01;35:*.png=01;35:*.svg=01;35:*.mng=01;35:*.pcx=01;35:*.mov=01;35:*.mpg=01;35:*.mpeg=01;35:*.m2v=01;35:*.mkv=01;35:*.ogm=01;35:*.mp4=01;35:*.m4v=01;35:*.mp4v=01;35:*.vob=01;35:*.qt=01;35:*.nuv=01;35:*.wmv=01;35:*.asf=01;35:*.rm=01;35:*.rmvb=01;35:*.flc=01;35:*.avi=01;35:*.fli=01;35:*.gl=01;35:*.dl=01;35:*.xcf=01;35:*.xwd=01;35:*.yuv=01;35:*.aac=00;36:*.au=00;36:*.flac=00;36:*.mid=00;36:*.midi=00;36:*.mka=00;36:*.mp3=00;36:*.mpc=00;36:*.ogg=00;36:*.ra=00;36:*.wav=00;36:';
ZLS_COLORS=$LS_COLORS
GREP_COLOR='1;32' #bright green
GREP_OPTIONS='--color=auto'
CVS_RSH=ssh
LANGUAGE=
LC_ALL=en_US.UTF-8
LANG=en_US.UTF-8
LESS_TERMCAP_mb=$'\E[01;31m'
LESS_TERMCAP_md=$'\E[01;31m'
LESS_TERMCAP_me=$'\E[0m'
LESS_TERMCAP_se=$'\E[0m'                           
LESS_TERMCAP_so=$'\E[01;44;33m'                                 
LESS_TERMCAP_ue=$'\E[0m'
LESS_TERMCAP_us=$'\E[01;32m'
unsetopt ALL_EXPORT
 
# User defined functions
extract() {
    if [ -f $1 ]; then
        case $1 in
            *.tar.bz2)      tar xjvf $1     ;;
            *.tar.gz)       tar xzvf $1     ;;
            *.tgz)          tar xzvf $1     ;;
            *.bz2)          bzip2 -d $1     ;;
            *.gz)           gunzip -d $1    ;;
            *.tar)          tar xvf $1      ;;
            *.zip)          unzip $1        ;;
            *.Z)            uncompress $1   ;;
            *.rar)          unrar x $1      ;;
            *.7z)           7z x $1         ;;
            *)              echo "'$1' Error. I have no idea what to do with that";;
        esac
    else
        echo "'$1' is not a valid file"
    fi
}
 
lsarchive() {
    if [ -f $1 ]; then
        case $1 in
            *.tar.bz2)      tar jtf $1      ;;
            *.tar.gz)       tar ztf $1      ;;
            *.tar)          tar tf $1       ;;
            *.tgz)          tar ztf $1      ;;
            *.zip)          unzip -l $1     ;;
            *.rar)          rar vb $1       ;;
            *.7z)           7z l $1         ;;
            *)              echo"'$1' Error. I have no idea what to do with that";;
        esac
    else
        echo "'$1' is not a valid archive"
    fi
}
 
# quick dir change function
rationalize-dot() {
    if [[ $LBUFFER = *.. ]]; then
        LBUFFER+=/..
    else
        LBUFFER+=.
    fi
}
zle -N rationalize-dot
bindkey . rationalize-dot
 
# Set up prompt
#source $HOME/.zsh/prompt.phil
source $HOME/.zsh/prompt.aaron

Xmonad and Xmonad-contrib documentation

sean — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:52:03 +0000

For personal reference, I keep haddock docs for darcs versions of xmonad and xmonad-contrib on this site.

It’s easy enough to build using:

$ cabal haddock

but if you don’t want to do that for any reason:

Offlineimap + mutt + gmail + msmtp = crazy delicious email

sean — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:43:18 +0000

I’ve finally settled on the best email setup I’ve had since the fetchmail+procmail+mutt setup I used several years ago. It’s not much different and still allows me to use my absolute favorite email client, mutt. “Offlineimap is a tool to simplify your email reading” says the homepage for this deceptively simple program. With offlineimap I now have a backup of all the messages in my gmail account, mutt performance is improved (it’s much better at Maildir than direct imap access), and have synchronized my mail reading on 3 different machines.

So here’s the basics.

.offlineimaprc:

[general]
metadata = ~/.offlineimap
accounts = GmailMain
ui = Noninteractive.Quiet
 
[mbnames]
enabled = yes
filename = ~/.mutt/muttrc.mailboxes
header = "mailboxes "
peritem = =%(foldername)s
sep = " "
footer = "\n"
 
[Account GmailMain]
localrepository = GmailLocal
remoterepository = GmailRemote
 
[Repository GmailLocal]
type = Maildir
localfolders = ~/.mail/GMAIL
 
[Repository GmailRemote]
type = Gmail
remoteuser = yourname@gmail.com
remotepassfile = ~/.mailpass

.msmtprc:

account default
host smtp.gmail.com
port 587
from yourname@gmail.com
tls on
tls_starttls on
# you can google on how to find this
tls_trust_file /home/webframp/.mutt/certs/Thawte_Premium_Server_CA.pem
auth on
user yourname
password yourpassword
logfile ~/.msmtp.log

relevant bits of .muttrc:

set mbox_type=Maildir                                   # mailbox type
set hostname=gmail.com                                  # This is my domain.
 
# GMAIL+OFFLINEIMAP settings
set imap_user=sean.escriva@gmail.com
set folder=$HOME/.mail/GMAIL
set spoolfile=+/INBOX
set postponed="+[GMAIL].Drafts"
set record="+[GMAIL].Sent Mail"
 
# Mailboxes via offlineimap
source $HOME/.mutt/muttrc.mailboxes
 
set sendmail="/usr/bin/msmtp"               # Sendmail alternative

I find running offlineimap via my crontab provides a nice solution to that
compulsive mail check impulse that can easily develop. Of course I also have a
Maildir check in my dzen xmonad statusbar using the ppExtras setting of my
pretty printer:

...
  , ppExtras = [logMail]
  }
where
 logMail = dzenColorL colorPink "" . wrapL mailIcon "". padL $ maildirNew mailDir
 mailIcon = "^i(/home/webframp/.dzen/icons/dzen_bitmaps/envelope.xbm)"
 mailDir = "/home/webframp/.mail/GMAIL/INBOX"

Maybe you can glean something useful from my setup

Why Haskell is a joy to learn

sean — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:04:32 +0000

I recently discovered Project Euler, an excellent resource to use while learning a new language. Maybe a little late to the game, but fun nonetheless.

The very first problem is rather simple:

If we list all the natural numbers below 10 that are multiples of 3 or 5, we get 3, 5, 6 and 9. The sum of these multiples is 23.

Find the sum of all the multiples of 3 or 5 below 1000.

And a potential solution is haskell is could be to define the following:

isMultOf x n = mod n x == 0
 
sumList xs = foldr (+) 0 xs

After which the answer could be obtained with a simple:

sumList [a | a <- [1..1000], isMultOf 3 a || 
                             isMultOf 5 a, 
                             a < 1000]

And we have a list comprehension. Beautiful, and immediately expressive of exactly what’s happening for such a simple problem. The amazing thing is that properly written haskell maintains this same clarity and expressivity in even large scale programs. Sometimes it’s the little things in a language that makes you really appreciate it.

Hopefully wordpress hasn’t screwed up the formatting for you.

A Few Xmonad Layout Examples

sean — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:38:18 +0000

Every once in a while in #xmonad someone will ask for examples of some of the available layouts for xmonad or if there exists a layout gallery of sorts. There isn’t. I thought perhaps it would be useful to have a few examples of some of the common, and not so common, layouts that one can use for xmonad. Regarding how to include these layouts in your configuration, read the docs on the LayoutHook

Clearly this can be expanded so if anyone would like to see more examples or has suggestions please let me know.

The Non-Intrusive User Interface

sean — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:55:51 +0000

Technology as a whole should enable us. It should ease our daily tasks, offloading some of the burden, whether that be mental processing or physical expenditure. This should be especially true of computers our daily interactions bring us in contact with and more still when the bulk of our time is spent working with them. Personal computing should allow us to focus on a given task in a way that encourages us to accomplish more than we otherwise could. Every means of interaction within the system should support the task at hand with as little interference as possible.

Sadly this is not the state of computing for most users. The most popular metaphors in computing today – the desktop, the start menu, folders – and commonly learned ways of interacting with them – point and click with the mouse – actually discourage productivity and break concentration/focus from a task. The implementations of these ideas further this interruption. True most users now have been trained to reach for the mouse and their hand eye coordination is good enough to accomplish any given step within a reasonable time frame.

How though does the switch-tasking our brain does to accomplish these steps affect the flow of thought for the current project? Clearly the less divergent thoughts and less steps required for any single step, the less the thought process is diverted from the main task. Further while few people struggle to make the required movements with a mouse, what affect does the repetitive nature of the movement have on long term health and usage? No doubt anyone who uses a mouse on a daily basis for several hours has personally felt the strain on their wrist that naturally comes with such usage.

The modern computing user interface has become cluttered and distracting, albeit a composited, semi-transparent glossy distraction. The initial appeal of such common interface elements hides the distraction, disguises the intrusive elements. It’s as if the computer were telling you, “never mind this modal dialog that just interrupted your thought process, it’s so glossy it must be helpful”.

Consider the average means of launching a program. Is it really ideal to require the user to graphically navigate to some onscreen coordinate that receives instructions before thought is transferred to action? Doubtful. How much screen real estate is essentially wasted for interface elements that support this idea? And how much time is spent arranging or re-arranging the frequently less than ideal placement of windows within this paradigm? Most daily computer users quickly outgrow the nagging tedium of these interfaces, but have no option to adjust the defaults.

I personally prefer an interface that is minimal and stays out of the way. An interface that handles much of what we have come to think of as routine automatically. And one that is fully configurable and flexible enough to support interaction in the manner that works for best me. The tiling window managers available on Linux and specifically Xmonad support this beautifully.

With Xmonad window management is automatic. I do not have to think about window placement as every window is automatically arranged to take the best advantage of screen real estate based on simple rules that I have configured. I can call applications with a single keystroke and they appear exactly where and how I want them. I can send them away or bring them back to the current screen with little more than a gesture, not once having to remove my hands from their comfortable perch above the keyboard. Many applications do not play nicely with this idea though and try to force certain window behavior. For these few troublesome programs it a simple thing to always “float” them, so that they behave in much the same as with traditional window managers. All of it is easily configurable in Haskell, an advanced purely functional programming language that is truly a joy to work with. Because of it concise syntax and clarity, I have been able to easily configure Xmonad to behave as I like, and it’s completely stable.

What is more, the means in which information is communicated is extremely configurable. I chose a minimal status bar using dzen, based on example scripts on the dzen wiki. Information when, where, and how I want it.

I encourage everyone that is using Linux to try it. After just a short period of time, I’m sure you will agree that you are able to work in manner that is both non-intrusive and more productive.

My Xmonad configuration
A screenshot of the setup:
Arch+Xmonad = Crazy Delicious

Two months and still nothing to write home about.

sean — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:50:59 +0000

Been a while since the last update. I guess as the saying goes, “if you don’t have something good to say…” I have been learning haskell, using xmonad, and loving 64bit Arch Linux., so a few notes on each are in order.

Haskell

Haskell has been described as the algebra of programming, and is an advanced purely functional programming language. If your a math/language geek like myself, it’s rights up your alley. It’s been a delight to delve deeper into a language I previously had only a passing familiarity with.

Xmonad

Xmonad is a lightweight tiling window manager writen entirely in haskell and it’s rock solid stable because of it. The configuration file itself is a dynamically compiled haskell module, which means your free to do whatever you can within the limits of your knowledge. That’s how it should be. There’s a very fully featured set of community contributed extensions, xmonad-contrib, that provides many more extendable features and the community is helpful and intelligent. Both valuable traits.

Arch Linux

And finally Arch. After a week or two of struggling with Ubuntu/apt and some outdated packages I was so fed up I switch. Rsync’d my entire home directory to my backup server one final time, and did a fresh install of 64 bit Arch. Now least of all its’s nice to have access to all 4GB of RAM in my laptop. Boot times are quicker too.

In all things are snappier, and that make me a happy person.

Google Scrubs the cache for Chrome

sean — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:46:24 +0000

According to this article at Computerworld google has scrubbed results for the download link for their new Chrome browser. If you get results like these:

It’s likely it won’t work.

No doubt this won’t be an issue once the Chrome Announcement is over.

Live video of Chrome Annoucement is available here

Switch+dzen

sean — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 08:23:15 +0000

Well Ubunut Intrepid may turn out to be great, but the recent ubuntu upgrade on my part proved to me how tired I was of dealing with apt and it’s pkg management system. How many debian users actually know what it’s really doing?

So I switched. To Arch.

Lately it seems like every useful tip I’ve gleaned has been from either the gentoo or arch wiki, so I had narrowed it down to one of the two. Both are appealing for their BSD style init systems and simple script based pacakge systems. Gentoo is full source though which, while not really a negative for most modern systems, was something I didn’t want to be restricted to. Arch allows a flexible binary or source build system, although the actual repo’s are binary. I love the rolling kernel too, no more waiting 6 months to get the latest, risking a broken system by upgrading in between.

In the process of switching I have fine-tuned things to the extreme. One of the tweaks is the battery status bar I use. It’s just a simple shell script that outputs formatted text to dzen2. It always bugged me that the script didn’t notice the charging state. After a simple little change, it does.

#!/bin/sh
#
# original script by lyon8 <lyon8@gmx.net>
# modifications from original by <sean.escriva@gmail.com>
# show your laptop battery state in dzen
 
BG='#1c2636'  # dzen backgrounad
FG='#99ffff'  # dzen foreground
W=150         # width of the dzen bar
GW=50         # width of the gauge
GFG='#33ccff'  # color of the gauge
GH=7          # height of the gauge
GBG='#333'    # color of gauge background
X=1770        # x position
Y=1200        # y position
FN='snap'     # font
 
STATEFILE='/proc/acpi/battery/BAT0/state' # battery's state file
INFOFILE='/proc/acpi/battery/BAT0/info'   # battery's info file
 
LOWBAT=25        # percentage of battery life marked as low
LOWCOL='#ff4747' # color when battery is low
CHGCOL='#60da11' # color when battery is charging
TIME_INT=1       # time intervall in seconds
 
PREBAR='^i(/home/webframp/.dzen/icons/dzen_bitmaps/battery.xbm) ' # caption (also icons are possible)
 
while true; do
# look up battery's data
BAT_FULL=`cat $INFOFILE|grep design|line|cut -d " " -f 11`;
STATUS=`cat $STATEFILE|grep charging|cut -d " " -f 12`;
RCAP=`cat $STATEFILE|grep remaining|cut -d " " -f 8`;
 
# calculate remaining power
RPERCT=`expr $RCAP \* 100`;
RPERC=`expr $RPERCT / $BAT_FULL`;
 
# draw the bar and pipe everything into dzen
if [ $RPERC -le $LOWBAT ]; then
GFG=$LOWCOL;
fi
if [ $STATUS = 'charging' ]; then
GFG=$CHGCOL;
else
GFG='#33ccff';
fi
#echo -n $PREBAR #uncomment for an icon
eval echo $RPERC | gdbar -h $GH -w $GW -fg $GFG -bg $GBG
sleep $TIME_INT;
done | dzen2 -ta c -tw $W -y $Y -x $X -fg $FG -bg $BG -fn $FN

Intrepid Development release upgrade

sean — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:05:48 +0000

Went through the officially recommended upgrade process for Ubuntu last night. Overall extremely painless and reminded me why its worth using a distro with package management. A few notes though:

One of the first things I like to do is blacklist pcspkr, I hate that beep and it is almost always useless for me. It seems the kernel module name has changed from pcspkr to snd_pcsp, had to change the line accordingly /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist

Wireless also doesn’t work, but the drivers have changed from what I understand, so that’s to be expected.

It should be fun to explore the rest if the Intrepid Ibex and see what’s new.