I would be interested in a proper solution, but recently I have found a way to make custom icons for specific Konsole instances. Maybe you could use a similar approach.
I have made a copy of the program’s desktop file and placed it in /usr/local/share/applications/ with a slightly different name, and given it a new icon. Then I have made a new window rule, that sets this desktop file for windows that start with a title having a specific pattern, and made Konsole to start with that title using an undocumented command argument I have found on their bug tracker.
This is very hacky and I don’t like it, can’t wait until it breaks, but it’s all I have found.
An alternative way may be to make a symlink to Konsole and start it through this symlink, and somehow identify the window by the executable path… but window rules don’t support that. Maybe through some other way? KWin has a scripting API… hmmm…
But a problem you’ll probably have to deal with when setting the title is that the program can set it’s title any time, and at least some of them (including Konsole) routinely do that, in that case based on the selected tab’s title. There’s a setting to turn that off… but as I have experienced, it doesn’t do what I expect, if anything. Maybe by listening to title changes you can force your will, if that is possible.
I noticed in the install.sh of GSR, that setcap cap_sys_admin+ep is called on the executable. So if you know any way of replicating something like that for flatpaks that is simpler than installing GSR manually, feel free to let me know.
You can just run the same command on the executable installed by flatpak. On my system it can be found in /var/lib/flatpak/app/{app name}/current/active/files/bin.
I didn’t consider that an option because whenever I searched for setcap and flatpak, most threads were pretty dismissive and told OP that flatpak is made with security in mind so doing that isn’t supported.
Regardless, I tried it just now, but the password prompt (image below) still shows up when launching the autostart .desktop file I created. The .desktop file launches a script I wrote, which in turn actually starts GSR through flatpak, in case that changes anything.
Do I assume correctly that this prompt might be gone if I set the capabilities of /usr/bin/flatpak? It’s not something I want to do, so I’ll probably keep trying to get the manually built version installed.
Before I made the switch, I did something similar to what you did. To enumerate my steps: 1 - Learned about Linux in general(I learn a lot at university) 2 - Picked a distro 3 - Adapted to the Linux workflow in Windows, for example using more terminal, updating packages via winget/chocolatey, using wsl etc. 4 - Used FOSS alternatives in Windows 5 - Made a list of all the programs I needed to find a replacement for that don’t have a Windows version to try out 6 - Made a list of things to try out, like themes, tiling windows, desktops, etc 7 - Live distro for a day 8 - Completely removed Windows from my life forever
Thanks for the list! Most points i already did and there are only two programs that not have an alternative, but i almost never use them. I will try to run them through Wine or something, and if it doesn’t work it would not be a big deal. Can’t wait to get rid of windows. I can’t remember why i left kubuntu behind and got back to windows in the first place.
I’m not so sure if taking screenshots of exact settings is the correct mindset. Sometimes you have a different selection of software available and you might for example want to change your email-client or learn a new video editor because some other software works better on linux or is tied into the system better. You also need to adapt a few workflows to be maximally effective. Because some things just work differently on Linux.
I think your approach is quite good. All I want to say is: I’ve seen people get very disappointed with Linux. Especially if they try to recreate their Windows-experience closely. Be prepared to let go of your now perfectly configured software and start fresh with more things than you currently anticipate.
But Linux is awesome. I think the most important thing is to do a backup first. In case something goes wrong and you accidentally wipe your harddrive or you need to go back.
I should have clarified that i’m not copying all settings from all programs, just the ones that i use a lot and are important to me, from programs that i will have on linux as well. For instance, i already use libreoffice and will just copy the tweaks i made so as to not to reinvent the wheel.
As for disappointment; i have used Kubuntu in the far past, so it’s not like i know absolutely nothing about Linux, thankfully. In fact, when i ran the live KDE image, it was quite fun that many of the programs i used back then, still came with it, like Kate and the pdf reader and such.
Backups, good point! I already have everything important backupped on protondrive and a home server, but i will check how i can backup windows/settings; i do see two programs called Window recovery drive and Windows backup program, so will check out how that works and if that is what i would need. Thanks for your input!
Fair enough. Yeah I see you’re getting lots of good advice here. I think you’re pretty well set. Wish you the best, and hope the switch works out smoothly and you’ll have some fun.
(And you’re right. Tweaking LibreOffice and things like that is more work than a fun activity. I too would take every shortcut available and focus on more interesting things. And your experience won’t be annoying at all if you already use the same free/libre office suite and other stuff. And already had a look at everything…)
Don’t complicate something simple, back up (your) user level stuff, and switch. That easy.
Not sure what landed you on Debian, but at least run Testing/Unstable. (“Unstable” on Debian isn’t unstable). Absent that, you’ll be real behind on basically everything.
I ran Debian on servers for years, and even in the case of servers its just too damn behind the times. If you start force upgrading things so that’s not an issue, then you’re basically running Ubuntu. I think I read in replies you’re going with KDE? May seriously want to consider Kubuntu. While I dumped Ubuntu for desktops years ago (still run Ubuntu Server) and went to Arch based desktop distros, for a newer Linux User, Ubuntu based distros are going to have the least amount of headache attached.
If you plan on using something like Gentoo, building Gentoo and running it in a VM a couple times tends to be a smart play.
I've been using Gentoo for ages, as I'm a stickler for stripping down everything to its bare minimum and even I tend to first have a couple runs at building and running it on new hardware, from within a VM.
Going in knowing the intimate details of the hardware you use is always going to be a big plus.
Maybe windows rules will now work properly instead of being buggy and delete themselves…fingers crossed Imho KDE is too big, there are so many cogwheels they miss the opportunity to actually polish each and every aspect.
Does xrandr work on Wayland? I thought it was an X11 tool. That would be so cool, I use it to change the brightness on my laptop’s monitor when KDE’s gui thing stops working (after sleep, I think). I think I looked for a replacement for Wayland but did not find anything a while back
The fun part comes later on, when you get a bit laissez-faire with the backups and kick yourself for missing something and having to configure it from scratch. Then you start tinkering and remember that you actually like configuring things.
I love poking around in good settings menus. I can’t stand Windows 11, and even Windows 10 and 7 are rubbish - there shouldn’t be two layered styles of settings menus, and I shouldn’t have to click through multiple pages to get to the function I want. Android, too, has gotten a bit crap, but at least the search function works well.
So far, everything gets backupped automatically, but on top of this, i already am in the habit of backupping important documents by hand in files that don’t get synced. So, as soon as i’m editing important files, i backup them, on top of the sync folders. I will need to switch to manual backups anyway, since proton drive - which syncs automatically - is not yet available on linux, but they do have a web app where you can backup manually.
Note that there isn’t a Linux version of the protondrive app. … I know! what the fuck right?
Secondly, I would just shove Linux Mint onto a USB and use that as a live distro with persistence for a while, just to get used to things. I’m not a fan of debian(/-based) or apt, but it works.
Yes, you’re right, but at least they have a web app, so it’s not a total deal breaker. I think a linux version is in the works, but knowing Proton it can still take a long time before one will be available. I also know that their VPN linux version is pretty shaky for some people.
It sounds like you've taken the appropriate precautions. I'm sure others will have better suggestions, but perhaps you can try running a VM for a week or so as if you've made the switch and take note of anything you feel you may be lacking.
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