Moving out from MacOs to Linux
I finally decided to move into the linux world, I started buying a decent PC, but to be fair, This is not my first time trying to migrate to linux without struggling with strong habits and muscle memory from the macOS feature. So I decide to make a brief list about all the tools that helped me to make a paineless transition this time. I hope you like it :)
Picking up to your things
This is an obvious step, but I have to emphasize how significant it is that you create a backup for any custom tool configurations from your previous OS. Here some examples:
- Custom config files such as ssh configuration, vim setup, terminal configuration, *.local file, etc.
- 2FA security tokens saved locally.
- Important local database information.
- Your own Dotfiles
- .ssh keys
Trying to keep your mind focused on the most important things will help you to avoid a headache later on.
Changing your address
I decided to use PopOs (a Linux version on top of Ubuntu) since it has a lot of developer tools and also a more polished UX than Ubuntu (even if we change the look & feel later the last goal is to use the PopOs vanilla interface). More information about this OS here.
The installation is pretty straight forward and intuitive (just like Ubuntu 😃).
You can find the installation instructions here:
Cleaning and preparing the new house
After installation, the system guides you through a couple of steps more to wrap up your setup e.g. timezone, online accounts, etc.
I will comment on something here about my accent’s keyboard requirements. In my case, I modified the standard configuration to English (the US, intl, with dead keys) as my native language is Spanish. e.g If I need to use`ñ` I type right Alt + n.
Custom terminal commands from Mac
One of my most significant issues when I tried to start with Linux, is the lack of my frequently used commands and configurations in macOS. So this time, I was decided to make a list of emulation commands and tools required for a happy terminal:
- Install Zsh
- Install OhMyZsh
- Dotfile configuration: e.g. I’ve been using pedrofernandezm/dotfiles for years and it has worked pretty well.
- pbcopy & pbpaste command: install xclip
$ sudo apt install xclipand then, paste this in your~/.zshrc.local:
$ alias pbcopy='xclip -selection clipboard'
$ alias pbpaste='xclip -selection clipboard -o'- open folder command: install nautilus
sudo apt install nautilusand then, paste this in your~/.zshrc.local:
alias open='nautilus $1'- git add — patch with a single keystroke (optional): run this command `sudo cpan Term::ReadKey`and set the git option in your .gitconfig If you don’t want to press enter every time with this command. for more details Click here
- Clipboard support for vim: install vim-gui-common
$ sudo apt get install vim-gui-commonand copy the following lines in your~/.vimrc.local:
set clipboard=unnamedplusNote: Something I had to embrace at this point is how to copy and paste on Linux. You have to change your muscle memory from Cmd + C / Cmd + V on macOS to Ctrl + Shift + C / Ctrl + Shift + V on Linux. I’m Still looking for a good solution for this that doesn’t affect the default configuration.
Painting the house as MacOS
I would have liked to start using the vanilla Linux theme, but I‘ve tried this in the past and always gave up because of the UI/UX differences between those two. So, I decided to use a macOS theme to feel comfortable at least for now. Please forgive me 😔
Using a macOS theme
Here’s the link with the step by step of how to change the vanilla theme for gnome
Some alternatives for Catalina icons
After this step, you should have your Theme, Icons, and Font all set!
For those steps, you have to install the gnome-shell plugin for Firefox or Chrome in order to add Tweaks extension from the website.
Add desktop dock
After activation, go into Tweaks -> Extensions and click the settings for Dash to Dock extension. Adjust the settings at your convenience
Custom corners (Hot Corners)
After activation, go into Tweaks -> extensions and click the settings for Custome Corners' extension.
Notification settings
After activation, go into Tweaks -> extensions -> settings icons into Panel OSD section
Search and switch between apps
I’ve tried with some other options to reconfigure all the command/ctrl options such a ctrl + c, ctrl + v, ctrl + tab but without success, so I just left it as it is with small tweaks. Go to Settings -> Devices -> Keyboard Shortcuts
This last one helps you to get almost the same macOS screenshot commands for screenshots.
Update March 05–2020
Color picker shortcut (Deepin Picker)
Install Deepin Picker $ sudo apt install deepin-picker pr using your Installer tool
then, go into Setting -> Devices -> Keyboard Shortcuts go to the bottom and press the icon (+)
Now, you can pick a color using Ctrl + Shift + 6
Update Aug 25–2020
I start having some random freezing with my GPU NVidia. I made some research and I found this nice reddit post with the solution:
Update Aug 27–2020
Facial Recognition Authentication
Howdy provides Windows Hello™ style authentication for Linux. Use your built-in IR emitters and camera in combination with facial recognition to prove who you are.
Using the central authentication system (PAM), this works everywhere you would otherwise need your password: Login, lock screen, sudo, su, etc.
That’s it! we moved out successfully to our new house. Hopefully, those steps will help you to make this migration easier and comfortable. Let me know in the comments if you have any other updates or something that I missed in this article. Thanks and thanks Edgar Ortega Ramírez for performing the review of this article!
