What is “System Crafting?”

What’s in a name?

A name to describe computer configuration enthusiasts
The act, or craft, of creating and refining your computing environment
You’re probably here because you are inclined toward this (Emacs)

Let’s go into more detail about what it means!

Why do it?

Satisfaction of learning something new, being creative
Building an environment tailored to the way you think and work
Express your aesthetics (minimalism, colors, typography)
Ensuring your freedom and privacy

All roads lead to GNU/Linux

Most of us start with mainstream operating systems
The freedom of the GNU/Linux combo is unmatched
It gives you a platform for building your ideal environment
An endless array of programs and tools you can use

Foundational components

Linux distribution

Mainstream, easy to use: Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, etc
More technical: Arch (and derivatives), Gentoo
Functional: NixOS, GNU Guix

Desktop environment / window manager

Full environments: GNOME, KDE, XFCE, MATE, LXDE/LXQt, etc
Window managers: EXWM, i3, Awesome, dwm, bspwm, StumpWM, Openbox, etc

Editor

Emacs
Vim (or derivatives)

Each of these has its own implications on how you might craft your system!

Miscellaneous

Mail
Chat
Music
File syncing
Login managers
Session managers

Cultivating and sharing your configuration

Check in your configuration to source control
Sharing your configuration with others
Improving the organization and presentation

What’s the ideal strategy?

Start wherever you are most comfortable
Use your tools for a while (at least a month) before trying something else
Follow good content sources (Twitter, Reddit, Blogs, Videos) for new ideas
Join communities where people trade ideas

Are you interested?

Want to hear more thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments, and share your own ideas so that we can discuss them!

In the future I’ll branch out to talk more about alternative system configs and tools so that you have more options to choose from.