Suggested setup for an ultra-lightweight text-based programming environment in linux
I'm using XMonad + tmux + Emacs for a similar setup.
I used ratpoison for a year in the past but XMonad felt more robust. I never had any problems in my 256MB, 512MB boxes with it. Ratpoison had some stability problems, but this is anecdotal and things might have changed since then.
I also used GNU screen but tmux has some features that screen hasn't.
If you already know vim, you'd better not learn a new tool. If you don't, Emacs can employ multiple shells (C-u M-x shell), use your favorite shell (M-x term), you can write, compile and debug your programs, read your mails, hangout in IRC, read web/info/man pages, run most REPL shells (e.g. M-x run-python), use git/hg/svn inside it, edit remote files with TRAMP, use dired to do almost all file operations, use grep/find/ack inside it. You can use Emacs with or without X. You don't need a terminal multiplexer like screen or tmux, but I prefer to run emacs as a server and use emacsclient from tmux if running it from shell.
I read through your questions several times before I realized that I definitely have a recommendation for you: vim with tmux: http://tmux.sourceforge.net/
tmux is a screen 'multiplexor' that lets you have several windows and panes 'within 1'
It is a successor to the venerable 'screen' program, long a staple of many cli coders. One of its original winning features over vim was the ability to do split windows vertically as well as horizontally. However screen has moved forward and can now do that too.
Example:
Another part of the setup that I would recommend is a good set of aliases. These will make your typing and interaction a lot easier and quicker
Some of my favorites are shown here as examples:
alias gcv='git commit'
alias gg='git grep ' # for searching (add parameter)
alias gst='git status -sb' # I must use this 100 times a day!!!
alias h='history | tail'
alias hg='history | grep' # for searching my history (add parameter)
alias l='ls -alFtrG'
alias ls='ls --color=auto'
alias mv='mv -i'
alias p='pwd'# at least 200 times a day! so 2 chrs saved * 200 = 400 less characters to type ;)
Aliases can be setup in a .bash_aliases file that is called from .bashrc with: # Alias definitions. if [ -f ~/.bash_aliases ]; then . ~/.bash_aliases fi
Chances are you already have that code, so just your own .bash_aliases file.
Both these options work on a Mac and that is an important consideration for myself (a mostly Ubuntu user).
Most folks using tmux remap the keys to make it easier. The default bindings are just not that good. Here are my settings:
$ cat ~/tmux.conf
# mdd tmux settings
bind r source-file ~/.tmux.conf \; display "Reloaded!" # Reload with ctrl-r
set -g prefix C-a # prefix from ctrl-b to ctrl-a
unbind C-b # allow ctrl-b for other things
set -sg escape-time 1 # quicker responses
bind C-a send-prefix # Pass on ctrl-a for other apps
set -g base-index 1 # Numbering of windows
setw -g pane-base-index 1 # Numbering of Panes
# bind | split-window -h # Split panes horizontal
bind \ split-window -h # Split panes horizontal
bind - split-window -v # Split panes vertically
bind h select-pane -L # Switch to Pane Left
bind j select-pane -D # Switch to Pane Down
bind k select-pane -U # Switch to Pane Up
bind l select-pane -R # Switch to Pane Right
bind -r C-h select-window -t :- # Quick Pane Selection
bind -r C-l select-window -t :+ # Quick Pane Selection
bind -r H resize-pane -L 5 # Switch to Pane Left
bind -r J resize-pane -D 5 # Switch to Pane Down
bind -r K resize-pane -U 5 # Switch to Pane Up
bind -r L resize-pane -R 5 # Switch to Pane Right
setw -g mode-mouse off # Mouse Off
set -g mouse-select-pane off # Mouse Off
set -g mouse-resize-pane off # Mouse Off
set -g mouse-select-window off # Mouse Off
#set -g default-terminal "screen-256color"
setw -g monitor-activity on # Activity Alerts
set -g visual-activity on
set -g status-fg white # Status line Colors
set -g status-bg black
setw -g window-status-fg cyan # Window list color
setw -g window-status-bg default
setw -g window-status-attr dim
setw -g window-status-current-fg white # Active Window Color
setw -g window-status-current-bg red
setw -g window-status-current-attr bright
set -g pane-border-fg green # Pane colors
set -g pane-border-bg black
set -g pane-active-border-fg white
set -g pane-active-border-bg yellow
set -g message-fg white # Command/Message Line.
set -g message-bg black
set -g message-attr bright
set -g status-left-length 40 # Status Line, left side
set -g status-left "#[fg=white]Session: #S #[fg=yellow]#I #[fg=cyan]#P"
set -g status-utf8 on # Status Line, right side
set -g status-right "-------"
set -g status-interval 60 # frequency of status line updates
set -g status-justify centre # center window list
setw -g mode-keys vi # vi keys to move
unbind v # Open panes in same directory as tmux-panes script
unbind n
bind v send-keys " ~/tmux-panes -h" C-m
bind n send-keys " ~/tmux-panes -v" C-m
unbind Up # Maximizing and Minimizing...
bind Up new-window -d -n tmp \; swap-pane -s tmp.1 \; select-window -t tmp
unbind Down
bind Down last-window \; swap-pane -s tmp.1 \; kill-window -t tmp
bind P pipe-pane -o "cat >>~/#W.log" \; display "Toggled logging to ~/#W.log"
# Make keys for copy mode be like vi
unbind [
bind Escape copy-mode
unbind p
bind p paste-buffer
bind -t vi-copy 'v' begin-selection
bind -t vi-copy 'y' copy-selection
Finally (to close the loop), here's my .vimrc settings themselves that I like having to make the shell easier to use:
" mdd specific stuff --- start
set hlsearch
set incsearch
set number
" more3 mdd stuff - set tabs to be spaces and length of 2 characters.
set smartindent
set tabstop=2
set shiftwidth=2
set expandtab
" mdd specific stuff --- end
"
" Forget being compatible with good ol' vi
set nocompatible
" Get that filetype stuff happening
filetype on
filetype plugin on
filetype indent on
" Turn on that syntax highlighting
syntax on
" Why is this not a default
set hidden
" Don't update the display while executing macros
set lazyredraw
" At least let yourself know what mode you're in
set showmode
" Enable enhanced command-line completion. Presumes you have compiled
" with +wildmenu. See :help 'wildmenu'
set wildmenu
" Let's make it easy to edit this file (mnemonic for the key sequence is
" 'e'dit 'v'imrc)
nmap <silent> ,ev :e $MYVIMRC<cr>
" And to source this file as well (mnemonic for the key sequence is
" 's'ource 'v'imrc)
nmap <silent> ,sv :so $MYVIMRC<cr>
highlight ExtraWhitespace ctermbg=red guibg=red
match ExtraWhitespace /\s\+$/
autocmd BufWinEnter * match ExtraWhitespace /\s\+$/
autocmd InsertEnter * match ExtraWhitespace /\s\+\%#\@<!$/
autocmd InsertLeave * match ExtraWhitespace /\s\+$/
autocmd BufWinLeave * call clearmatches()
Finally I make a few changes to my .bashrc file For example with shopt -s autocd when I type a directory name (that exists) my shell cd's into that directory immediately. Nifty! So here's my .bashrc changes:
# Automatic cd'ing
shopt -s autocd
# Have cd show directory info ('cos my shell doesn't show full directory path in $PS1 prompt (intended).
cd() {
builtin cd "$@" && pwd
}
# enable programmable completion features
if [ -f /etc/bash_completion ] && ! shopt -oq posix; then
. /etc/bash_completion
fi
PATH=$PATH:$HOME/.rvm/bin # Add RVM to PATH for scripting
[[ -s "$HOME/.rvm/scripts/rvm" ]] && . "$HOME/.rvm/scripts/rvm" # Load RVM into a shell session *as a function*
# mdd Terminal Multiplexor 6/15/2012
if [[ ! $TERM =~ screen ]]; then
exec tmux
fi
[ -z "$TMUX" ] && export TERM=xterm-256color
export EDITOR=vim
git config --global --add color.ui true
- solution with no X at all: framebuffer + Linux console + GNU screen + vim + w3m
- solution with X but no desktop environment: dwm + urxvt + GNU screen + vim + w3m + surf
dwm uses only a few hundred kB of memory, keyboard driven, but you can use mouse as well if you like. Check http://suckless.org for more simple yet powerful tools.