Val 🏳️‍⚧️ (En)

About three weeks ago, I decided to test myself and install Gentoo Linux on my computer after years of using Arch Linux, and I decided to switch because of both the AUR issues (which shouldn't be that worrisome if you carefully review the PKGBUILDs to not insall anything malicious) and I was getting bored.

And the fact that some packages I used on Arch weren't there was really the lesser of my troubles. Lemme tell ya.

The base system installation in reality is pretty easy, following the Handbook and installing the full kernel without modifying it. The issues started when I discovered the overlays and how to enable them. I ended up enabling the KDE one without realizing it was the Testing one, and I ended up breaking my system, and I went through two reinstalls to realize what was I doing wrong, disabling the KDE testing repository, and fix the system to not go through a fourth reinstall.

And the truth is that the way the official Gentoo repository handles the stable and the testing packages (which I think most testing packages are more bleeding edge, if you ask me), and the use flags. They're described in little detail in the handbook, but it's not until a package doesn0t have a feature you need that they start to really matter. And to say the truth, both the Gentoo Portage Overlays index and the command equery uses became my greatest allies.

Something I really missed was a graphical package manager, because every time I have used Linux, I have used one. Synaptic on Mint, Ubuntu and Debian, Pamac and Shelly on Arch, and honestly I don't remember ever using one on Fedora, because I didn't use it for a long time. Technically there are two available on Gentoo, but I couldn't even make Kuroo start, and AppSwipe doesn't seem very complete to me to want to keep it. So I'll stay with the command line.

But after installing system apps, enabling WiFi, Bluetooth, and printing features, and configuring some programs I use (like GIMP for translations, and OneDriveGUI for my backups, among others), some icon packs and themes I use weren't available either on the Gentoo official repository, or any on the overlays from the aforementioned website. Which led me to another rabbit hole. How ebuilds work.

The easy way would have been just simply going to those original customization projects, complie them just for me and go on my way. But I said, «what if I put it on an overlay to share it later?» And that's what I ended up doing, but making the ebuilds and creating the repository wasn't that easy. At first, I wanted to make a subdomain of this server to host the repository there, but I discovered it's not very easy to create an HTTPS repo, ironically. I wanted to convert it to git on that same subdomain, and I couldn't do it either. I gave up, and I started it on a GitHub account I already had (someone tell me how to move to Gitlab xd).

To say the truth, the first ebuild I did was Handheld Daemon for my ROG XBOX Ally X, because I really need it for compatibility with the embedded controller in apps outside of Steam, because the CachyOS kernel wasn't useful for that, and the Xanmod kernel (which I think it's better) doesn't include the module yet.

After that, I just kept going, and made ebuilds for typefaces, themes, icons, and a terminal with touch support, and I've been working on that this last week. It's still a small repository, but I don't plan on leave it like that. I eventually want to port some AUR packages (those without issues xd), and make some Maui apps available because I think they're neat.

That said, I am not writting any line of code for those projects I'm making ebuilds for. I'm just kind of a maintainer with a superiority complex, but I did it with love and lots of coffee.

If you want to check the repository, it's on Github, and you can add it from eselect.

sudo eselect repository add val-vgms git https://github.com/val-vgms/gentoo-overlay.git

And now... Nothing. Imma sleep. I'll work on this another day, I guess.