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On Configuration

sstephenson.us

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Re: On Configuration

#22

Post by simcaster »

bejar37 wrote: post #15

Sort of OT: Does anyone know any good examples (on github or otherwise) of a dotfiles repo that can easily be installed on a machine? I've been wanting to do this for a while, but I'm sort of a noob on symlinking and such

Maybe not the best example, but here's my dotfiles. I use install.sh to link them. https://github.com/BenDoan/dotfiles

Re: On Configuration

#23

Post by tikhonj »

groby_b wrote: post #17
tikhonj wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know. Whenever I use my friends Windows computers--and, reasonably, Windows is the default--I'm lost. And yet this is not a good case for switching to Windows! Besides, these days, I work from my laptop. 99% of the time, I'm on my computer. Now, perhaps I'm remoting into some server, but if so I'm doing that from a local Emacs. When I need to use a new computer, assuming it's running Linux, I only need to cop…

Just keep in mind that O(1) = O(1 + c). Depending on the relative size of n and c, you might want to stop and think :)

Happily, this gets amortized as n increases. So I just have to use Emacs more to make it worth it. A delicious proposition.

(Hey, I should totally write a mode for browsing HN from Emacs! Then I'll have no need to ever leave :P.)

Re: On Configuration

#24

Post by pepve »

thibaut_barrere wrote: post #2

I've been sticking with the defaults pretty much since I started programming (around 1984) and always came across people doing a LOT of tweaking. I can't help but wonder if that's a bit like guitar players that spend more time tuning their instrument than playing :)

Indeed.

Also, I generally don't like my tools enough to spend so much time on them. It's just a tool after all, I go to the hardware store, pick a hammer, and start pounding nails.

Re: On Configuration

#25

Post by dllthomas »

tikhonj wrote: post #12
moron wrote: post #7

What I discovered is that in many cases, my ability to adapt to a foreign environment without frustration is more important than the benefits of configuring a local environment to suit my whims. YES. That is exactly why endlessly messing around with text-editor configuration frippery is a waste of time.

I don't know. Whenever I use my friends Windows computers--and, reasonably, Windows is the default--I'm lost. And yet this is not a good case for switching to Windows! Besides, these days, I work from my laptop. 99% of the time, I'm on my computer. Now, perhaps I'm remoting into some server, but if so I'm doing that from a local Emacs. When I need to use a new computer, assuming it's running Linux, I only need to cop…

> Whenever I use my friends Windows computers--and, reasonably, Windows is the default--I'm lost. And yet this is not a good case for switching to Windows!

Actually, I think it is a good case for switching to Windows. I just don't think it's a sufficient case.

Re: On Configuration

#26

Post by gvalkov »

My perspective on this whole thing is that I really enjoy configuring my tools and regardless of how incompatible my setup becomes and how much time I waste in the process, I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. Different people value their time differently.

It has become more of a hobby than some self-serving quest to improve productivity. Working on my config files or going through those of others in search of little gems is something I do for recreation - it's a very light mental activity. Configuring things is probably my favorite pastime in front of a computer :)

Still, highly configurable software should by all means come with smart defaults.

I don't mean to turn this into a book club, but this ordeal bears resemblance to Orr from Catch 22 fixing the thumb sized valve of the stove in Yossarian's tent. :)

       'If you want to work with something big, that's okay.
     But that valve is filled with tiny parts, and I just
     haven't got the patience right now to watch you  
     working so hard over things that are so goddam small 
     and unimportant.'
       'Just because they're small doesn't mean they're  
     unimportant.'
       'I don't care.'

Re: On Configuration

#27

Post by alttab »

dsr_ wrote: post #11

This is, I think, one of the classic splits between developers and sysadmins. Sysadmins are always logging in to unconfigured systems, new systems, foreign systems, and of course broken systems. Being fluent in sh, bash, vi (appreciating, but not depending on vim-isms) and knowing your way around every config file in /etc... those are basic tools for sysadmins. Developers should have the most productive environments…

Disagree sir. It all depends on how much you depend on your toolset to get anything done.

I don't use textmate because its not installed on servers. I used to use ksh instead of shimming in bash when on AIX systems because it was the default.

My toolchain: Bash, VIM, and... well, that's freaking it. No NERDTree, no craziness, nothing.

The only thing I need to configure my fully functional environment and be at full productivity:

set tabstop=2

set ruler

set expandtab

syntax on

filetype on

* formatting

Re: On Configuration

#28

Post by dbbolton »

I feel his pain to an extent. However, rather than learn to cope with an inferior but pervasive alternative, I just use a simple shell script[1] to configure zsh for me. I have it on my personal server with a short and mnemonic URL, so I only have to run one easy-to-remember cURL command, and my shell is configured. I can understand how this would get annoying if I did it for every application, but when it comes to the shell or editor, I am not willing to compromise.

1 - https://github.com/dbb/zsh-stuff/blob/master/newz.sh

Re: On Configuration

#29

Post by mvanveen »

I think it's a balance just like anything else.

In high school, nothing was safe from my tinkering and everything was extremely fragile but also extremely tailored to fit my usage. In college, I found myself practicing a sort of configuration asceticism where all I needed to be productive was standard bash and vim. However, now that I'm a full-time software engineer I've found that by investing some time into configuration, I've optimized my common-case workflows tremendously and am much more productive as a result of it.

I think I'm still tremendously comfortable with just the bare necessities, and I agree that having this sort of habit makes context switching a lot easier, especially on foreign machines where you can't make many assumptions about what people have.

I think the decision point is centered on how much you find yourself context switching between setups. Personally, I'm only ever on one or two

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