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Embracing Linux on Windows: Configuring My Machine for Work

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It will be no surprise that you will need to install software when trying to replicate some of this configuration, make sure that you have the right to install software on your work computer or convince the IT department why you need that software

PowerToys

The first software that I wish could come as default for Windows is PowerToys. It makes it easy for you to set up key mappings, but the most important and its famous feature is Power Run. Think of dmenu or rofi from the Linux side. I mainly use it to open apps and do math on the fly. I currently have it bind to Win+P. PowerToys can do more such as searching the web and search files but my use of it is pretty much basic.

Alacritty

Alacritty is superior to Windows terminal. I understand that some Windows enthusiasts may disagree with me, but for those transitioning from Linux, there is currently no better terminal option in Windows than Alacritty as of 2024. I know the Ghost Terminal was recently released at the end of 2024, but I have not yet had the opportunity to form an opinion on it. In addition to the standard configuration provided in the Alacritty documentation, I had to add the following:


...

[terminal.shell]
program = "wsl.exe"
args = ["--cd", "~"]

[window]
# opacity = 0.95
decorations = "None"

This is to ensure that when I launch Alacritty, it starts a WSL session. More about that later

WSL 2

Okay, the best thing Microsoft ever did was admit that they have lost to Linux in the developer community and embed Linux in their own operating system. So, I will say this is a must if you are a developer working with Windows. It gives you a Linux environment to work from. The most used one is Ubuntu, but as a Linux die-hard fan, I am using Arch Linux. Why? Because it is simply better. You can find the steps to install Arch Linux on WSL 2 here.

There are a few things to note when working with WSL.

Opening Windows application from WSL

When using WSL the are some times where you want to open file explore in the current folder or notepad. You can be able to do so by running

explore.exe .

or

notepad.exe

You can even take it further and open Excel files or access the environment variables using WSLU, which is a tool that enhances the experience of WSL

Clipboard

I also had some trouble sharing the clipboard on my Neovim with the Windows system. The following configuration helps, although it reduces the performance of copying and pasting in Neovim.

-- init.lua
if vim.fn.has 'wsl' == 1 then
  vim.g.clipboard = {
    name = 'WslClipboard',
    copy = {
      ['+'] = 'clip.exe',
      ['*'] = 'clip.exe',
    },
    paste = {
      ['+'] = 'powershell.exe -c [Console]::Out.Write($(Get-Clipboard -Raw).tostring().replace("`r", ""))',
      ['*'] = 'powershell.exe -c [Console]::Out.Write($(Get-Clipboard -Raw).tostring().replace("`r", ""))',
    },
    cache_enabled = 0,
  }
end

Tmux

One of the tools I use frequently is Tmux. Tmux is a bit complex, but at its core, it is a terminal multiplexer. In short, it ensures that when you close the terminal window, the programs that were running continue to run in the background. This allows you to pick up where you left off when you reopen the terminal, which is convenient since you will likely be closing and opening the Alacritty terminal often.

I have added this to a .zshrc file that allows me to automatically re-attach to a tmux session if it exists, or create one if it does not.

# Check if already in a tmux session
if [ -n "$TMUX" ]; then
    echo "Already in a tmux session"
else
    # Check if the tmux session named "default" already exists
    if ! tmux has-session -t default 2>/dev/null; then
        # If the session does not exist, create a new one
        tmux new-session -s default -A
    else
        # If the session already exists, attach to it
        tmux attach-session -t default
    fi
fi

Windows shortcuts you need to know and window management.

There are a few shortcuts that you need to know on Windows to make your life easier.

  • Closing / a Window Alt+F4
  • Maximize a current window Win+Up

With those two shorcut your configuration is almost complete since you can be able to open applications using PowerToys, maximize them, and close them without touching the mouse.

With that being said, you can stop here and I think you will have a better setup on Windows. But if you want to take it further, carry on.

One thing that I like about Linux is that there are many software options that allow you to customize key mappings. The first thing I usually change on a machine is to map the Caps Lock key to ESC. I have found that the software that works best on both Linux and Windows is Kanata. I have also used Kanata to set up my home row mods. Here is the full configuration for my Kanata software.


;; defsrc is still necessary

(defcfg
  process-unmapped-keys yes
)

(defsrc
  caps a s d f h j k l ;
  f5 , . spc p y
)

(defvar
  tap-time 250
  hold-time 250
)

(defalias
  escctrl (tap-hold 150 200 esc (layer-toggle num) )
  a (tap-hold $tap-time $hold-time a lmet)
  s (tap-hold $tap-time $hold-time s lsft)
  d (tap-hold $tap-time $hold-time d lalt)
  f (tap-hold $tap-time $hold-time f lctl)

  j (tap-hold $tap-time $hold-time j rctl)
  k (tap-hold $tap-time $hold-time k ralt)
  l (tap-hold $tap-time $hold-time l rsft)
  ; (tap-hold $tap-time $hold-time ; rmet)
  cpy S-C-c
  pst S-ins
  bak C-bspc
)

(deflayer base
 @escctrl  @a @s @d @f h @j @k @l @;
  lrld  , . spc p y
)


(deflayer num
  esc @a @s @d @f @bak down up @l @;
  f5 left rght rpt @pst @cpy
)

I am aware this might be a little bit too much but honestly just read the docs you will understand what is going on.

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