Daily driver guide: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 07:41, 13 August 2024

Many people think that Alpine is only made for containers and servers, but it is actually a general purpose distro which can definitely be used as a daily driver or as a Desktop.

Alpine is extremely small, simple and resource-efficient, making it easy to customize.

Note: This guide assumes you have already installed a minimal Alpine system by following the Installation guide

Basics

Create a non-privileged user account for security reasons.
Ensure that community repository is enabled
Install a Desktop Environment of your choice.
Install some fonts.

Advanced

Use Flatpak to add packages that are not in the Alpine repositories.
Install gcompat package to add a glibc compatability layer which (sometimes) lets you run binaries as normal.
Secure your system by installing firewall software like awall or UFW.
Install a sandboxing application like AppArmor or Bubblewrap.

Experimental

Warning: Only do below steps, if you're 100% sure what you're doing! Possible bugs in edge and testing could cause data loss or could break your system.

If You may want the rolling release version of Alpine Linux, enable the Edge repository.
You may want to enable testing repository, as it provides a lot more applications.

Read the above warning once again and understand the full implications.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Many people think that Alpine is only made for containers and servers, but it is actually a general purpose distro which can definitely be used as a daily driver.
+Many people think that Alpine is only made for containers and servers, but it is actually a general purpose distro which can definitely be used as a daily driver or as a Desktop.
-Alpine is extremely small, simple and resource-efficient, making it easy to customize.
+Alpine is extremely small, simple and resource-efficient, making it easy to customize.
 {{Note|This guide assumes you have already installed a minimal Alpine system by following the [[Installation|Installation guide]]}}
+== Basics ==
+* Create a non-privileged [[Setting_up_a_new_user#Creating_a_new_user|user account]] for security reasons.
+* Ensure that <code>community</code> repository is [[Repositories#Managing_repositories|enabled]]
+* [[Setup-desktop|Install]] a [[Desktop environments and Window managers|Desktop Environment]] of your choice.
+* [[fonts#Installation|Install]] some [[fonts]].
-== General system changes ==
+== Advanced ==
-=== Set up your own user ===
+* Use [[Flatpak]] to add packages that are not in the Alpine [[Repositories#repositories|repositories]].
-When running <code>setup-alpine</code> there was an option to create a user.
+* Install {{pkg|gcompat|arch=}} package to add a glibc compatability layer which (sometimes) lets you run binaries as normal.
-If you didn't make one, you can do it now:
+* Secure your system by installing firewall software like [[How-To_Alpine_Wall|awall]] or [[Uncomplicated Firewall|UFW]].
-{{cmd|# adduser <username>}}
+* Install a sandboxing application like [[AppArmor]] or [[Bubblewrap]].
-Then, you need to give your user access to temporary root privileges:
-{{cmd|# adduser <username> wheel}}
-If you are using <code>doas</code> then it will most likely work instantly, if using <code>sudo</code> then you will need to follow the [[Setting_up_a_new_user#Creating_a_new_user|install instructions]]
-=== Locking the root account ===
-To lock the root account you need to log into your account and then lock it using the <code>passwd</code> command:
-{{cmd|# passwd -l root}}
-=== Glibc compatability ===
-Installing the <code>gcompat</code> package adds a compatability layer which (sometimes) lets you run binaries as normal:
-{{cmd|# apk add {{pkg|gcompat|arch=}}}}
-Another way is to use [[Flatpak]]. It is a program distribution technology which uses a universal package format that is compatible with any Linux system.
-== Install a Desktop Environment/Window Manager ==
-The preferred way to install a Desktop Environment is by using the <code>setup-desktop</code> script:
-{{cmd|# setup-desktop}}
-If it does not have the Desktop Environment (or Window Manager) you want, [[Desktop environments and Window managers|follow the specific installation instructions for it]].
-After installation you should probably install some fonts (because some fonts may not be installed).
-This is a good set of fonts for most setups:
-{{cmd|# apk add {{pkg|font-terminus|arch=}} {{pkg|font-inconsolata|arch=}} {{pkg|font-dejavu|arch=}} {{pkg|font-noto|arch=}} {{pkg|font-noto-cjk|arch=}} {{pkg|font-awesome|arch=}} {{pkg|font-noto-extra|arch=}}}}
-== Securing your system ==
+== Experimental ==
-=== Firewall ===
-There are two main options: [[How-To_Alpine_Wall|awall]] or [[Uncomplicated Firewall|UFW]].
-Please follow their wiki guide for installation and usage.
-=== Sandboxing ===
+{{Warning|'''Only do below steps, if you're 100% sure what you're doing!''' Possible bugs in ''edge'' and ''testing'' could cause data loss or could break your system.}}
-The two choices are either [[AppArmor]] or [[Bubblewrap]].
-AppArmor is more convenient but has less control than Bubblewrap.
+* If You may want the rolling release version of Alpine Linux, [[Repositories#Managing_repositories|enable]] the [[Repositories#Edge|Edge]] repository.
-Bubblewrap is harder to work with but has more control than AppArmor.
+* You may want to [[Repositories#Managing_repositories|enable]] [[Repositories#Testing|testing]] repository, as it provides a lot more applications.
-Bubblewrap has a simpler GUI frontend called {{pkg|bubblejail|arch=}}. It is easier to use than Bubblewrap, but may sometimes be a little unstable.
+Read the above warning once again and understand the full implications.
-When installing Bubblejail, you first need to install the dependencies listed [https://github.com/igo95862/bubblejail/blob/master/docs/distro_notes/alpine.md here].