Ubuntu Development Environment Setup Guide

A keyboard-centric, minimal, and efficient development environment — inspired by the EndeavourOS i3 setup, adapted for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

This setup is designed to provide a clean and productive workflow suitable for ROS, Python, and general Linux-based development, focusing on simplicity, speed, and modularity.

Features Overview

• Window Manager: i3 — lightweight, fast, and keyboard-driven
• Shell Environment: Zsh with Oh-My-Zsh and useful plugins
• Editor: Neovim configured for development productivity
• Clipboard Manager: Greenclip integration with Rofi
• Aesthetic Add-ons: Variety, Dunst, Picom, and Arc Theme
• Optimized for Developers: Python, Git, Docker, Virtualenv, and more preconfigured
• Custom Scripts and Configs: Easily reproducible setup via GitHub configs

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Prerequisites

Ensure you have Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS installed on your system.

Important Note for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Users: The standard apt repository does not include i3-gaps. You will need to add the community repository during the i3 installation step (see Step 5.1 for instructions).

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Step 1: Install Git

1.1: Install Git

sudo snap install git

1.2: Configure Git

Replace the placeholder values with your actual GitHub username and email:

git config --global user.name "your github username here"
git config --global user.email "your github mail id here"

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Step 2: Install and Setup Zsh

2.1: Update Packages

Run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2.2: Install Zsh

sudo apt install zsh

2.3: Set Zsh as Default Shell

chsh -s $(which zsh)

Log out and back in for the changes to take effect.

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Step 3: Setup Oh-My-Zsh

3.1: Install Oh-My-Zsh

Run the installation script:

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

Follow the on-screen instructions.

3.2: Install Additional Plugins and Tools

Navigate to the plugins directory and clone the required plugins:

cd ~/.oh-my-zsh/plugins
git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting.git
git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions
sudo apt install fzf thefuck

3.3: Select Your Theme

Browse the available Oh-My-Zsh themes on the official GitHub page: Oh-My-Zsh Themes

Choose a theme that suits your preference (popular options include agnoster, powerlevel10k, spaceship, and dracula). You can also install additional third-party themes if desired.

3.4: Configure Zsh Configuration File

Edit your Zsh configuration:

nano ~/.zshrc

Update the ZSH_THEME variable with your selected theme:

ZSH_THEME="your-selected-theme"

Add the following to your configuration file:

plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting zsh-navigation-tools extract arduino-cli python fzf thefuck web-search virtualenv vscode docker docker-compose)

# Auto-activate venv if in folder tree
function auto_venv_enter() {
  local dir="$PWD"
  while [ "$dir" != "/" ]; do
    if [ -d "$dir/.venv" ]; then
      # Only activate if not already in the same venv
      if [ "$VIRTUAL_ENV" != "$dir/.venv" ]; then
        source "$dir/.venv/bin/activate"
      fi
      return
    fi
    dir=$(dirname "$dir")
  done

  # If no venv found upward, but one is active → deactivate
  if [ -n "$VIRTUAL_ENV" ]; then
    deactivate
  fi
}

# Run on shell startup
auto_venv_enter

# Run on every cd
function cd() {
  builtin cd "$@" || return
  auto_venv_enter
}

Save with Ctrl + O, then Enter. Exit with Ctrl + X.

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Step 4: Install and Setup Neovim

4.1: Install Dependencies

Install the following required packages:

sudo apt install ripgrep lynx gh nodejs npm python3-pip xclip xsel clang cmake clang-format ninja-build codespell

Install Python Neovim binding:

python3 -m pip install pynvim

4.2: Download and Install Neovim

curl -LO https://github.com/neovim/neovim/releases/latest/download/nvim-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
sudo rm -rf /opt/nvim-linux-x86_64
sudo tar -C /opt -xzf nvim-linux-x86_64.tar.gz

4.3: Add Neovim to PATH

Edit your Zsh configuration:

nano ~/.zshrc

Add this line at the end:

export PATH="$PATH:/opt/nvim-linux-x86_64/bin"

Save and exit (Ctrl + O, Enter, then Ctrl + X). Reload your shell:

source ~/.zshrc

4.4: Setup Neovim Configuration

cd ~/.config
git clone https://github.com/tejasmk-tkp/nvim_config.git
mv nvim_config nvim
cd nvim
nvim init.lua

Wait for Neovim to automatically install all plugins. Once complete, run:

nvim +checkhealth

Review any reported issues and address them as needed.

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Step 5: Install and Setup i3 Window Manager

5.1: Install i3 and Dependencies

For Ubuntu 24.04 LTS:

sudo apt install i3 blueman yad xcwd i3blocks xfce4-terminal thunar picom dunst variety rofi brightnessctl power-profiles-daemon slick-greeter imagemagick lightdm acpi arandr arc-theme xdg-utils fonts-hack-ttf fonts-firacode dex dmenu feh galculator gvfs gvfs-backends i3-wm i3lock i3status jq mpv numlockx network-manager-gnome playerctl policykit-1-gnome scrot sysstat thunar-archive-plugin thunar-volman tumbler unzip xarchiver xbindkeys xdg-user-dirs-gtk xbacklight xss-lock zip fonts-font-awesome pulseaudio-utils

For Ubuntu 22.04 LTS:

First, add the community repository to access i3-gaps:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:regolith-linux/stable
sudo apt update

Then install i3-gaps and all dependencies:

sudo apt install i3-gaps blueman yad xcwd i3blocks xfce4-terminal thunar picom dunst variety rofi brightnessctl power-profiles-daemon slick-greeter imagemagick lightdm acpi arandr arc-theme xdg-utils fonts-hack-ttf fonts-firacode dex dmenu feh galculator gvfs gvfs-backends i3lock i3status jq mpv numlockx network-manager-gnome playerctl policykit-1-gnome scrot sysstat thunar-archive-plugin thunar-volman tumbler unzip xarchiver xbindkeys xdg-user-dirs-gtk xbacklight xss-lock zip fonts-font-awesome pulseaudio-utils

5.2: Setup Greenclip for Rofi

Download and configure Greenclip clipboard manager:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
wget https://github.com/erebe/greenclip/releases/download/v4.2/greenclip -O ~/.local/bin/greenclip
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/greenclip

Add Greenclip to your PATH by editing your Zsh configuration:

nano ~/.zshrc

Add this line:

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Save and exit, then reload:

source ~/.zshrc

Start Greenclip daemon in the background:

greenclip daemon &

5.3: Configure Rofi with Greenclip

Edit your i3 configuration file (usually located at ~/.config/i3/config) and add or replace the clipboard binding:

bindsym $mod+c exec --no-startup-id rofi -modi "clipboard:~/.local/bin/greenclip print" -show clipboard -run-command '{cmd}'

5.4: Configure Brightness Control

To use brightnessctl without requiring sudo, add your user to the video group:

sudo usermod -aG video $USER

Log out and back in for the changes to take effect.

5.5: Copy Configuration Files

Copy the configuration folders to your .config directory:

cp -r config/dunst ~/.config/
cp -r config/i3 ~/.config/
cp -r config/rofi ~/.config/

5.6: Configure the Mod Key

Edit your i3 configuration file:

nano ~/.config/i3/config

At the beginning of the file, locate or add the mod key definition. By default, it is set to Alt:

set $mod Mod1

To change it to the Windows key (Super key), replace it with:

set $mod Mod4

Save and exit (Ctrl + O, Enter, then Ctrl + X).

5.7: Restart i3

After all configurations are complete, restart i3 by pressing $mod + Shift + R (usually Super + Shift + R or Alt + Shift + R depending on your mod key setting).

5.8: View All Keybindings

Once i3 is loaded, you can view all available keybindings and commands by pressing $mod + Shift + H. This will open a window displaying all configured keyboard shortcuts:

• If your mod key is Alt: Press Alt + Shift + H
• If your mod key is Windows/Super: Press Win + Shift + H

This is a quick reference guide to help you navigate and use all the features of your i3 setup.

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Completion

Your Ubuntu development environment is now fully configured with Zsh, Neovim, and the i3 window manager. Enjoy your enhanced terminal experience and productivity!

For troubleshooting or additional customization, refer to the official documentation for each tool:

• Zsh Documentation
• Oh-My-Zsh GitHub
• Neovim Documentation
• i3 Documentation