Alpine Linux with i3wm Setup Guide

Screenshot of Alpine Linux setup with i3 window manager

Step 1: Install Alpine Linux

Follow these steps to install Alpine Linux:

  1. Download Alpine Linux from the official website.
  2. Create a bootable USB using tools like dd, Rufus, or balenaEtcher.
  3. Boot from the USB and follow the installation process using setup-alpine.

Step 2: Install i3 Window Manager

After installing Alpine, update your repositories and install i3wm:

doas vi /etc/apk/repositories

Edit the apk repositories to enable community/edge/testing repos, and change the version in the links to edge:

#/media/cdrom/apks
http://your.specific.mirror/alpine/edge/main
http://your.specific.mirror/alpine/edge/community
http://your.specific.mirror/alpine/edge/testing

Step 3: Configure doas Privileges

Edit /etc/doas.d/doas.conf to avoid typing your password every time you run doas:

permit nopass yourUserName as root

Step 4: Update System and Install Xorg

Update and upgrade the system:

doas apk update
doas apk upgrade

Install Xorg and i3:

doas setup-xorg-base
doas apk add i3wm i3status dmenu sakura xrandr setxkbmap feh dbus font-dejavu adwaita-icon-theme chromium thunar flameshot

Note: Add your user to the input group:

doas adduser yourUserName input

Step 5: Install LightDM

Optionally, you can install the LightDM display manager:

doas apk add lightdm lightdm-gtk-greeter
doas rc-update add lightdm

If you prefer not to use a display manager, you can create a ~/.xinitrc file to start i3 manually:

echo "exec i3" > ~/.xinitrc
startx

Step 6: Install Picom for Compositing

Install Picom to handle screen tearing and add visual effects:

doas apk add picom

Copy the default configuration and set Picom to autostart:

mkdir -p ~/.config/picom
cp /etc/xdg/picom.conf.example ~/.config/picom/picom.conf

Add this line to your i3 config (.config/i3/config) to autostart Picom:

exec --no-startup-id picom --config ~/.config/picom/picom.conf

Step 7: Install Developer Tools

Install developer tools for your setup:

doas apk add git make libx11-dev libxinerama-dev libxft-dev g++ fontconfig-dev ncurses curl

Step 8: Enable Services and Autostart Programs

Enable dbus:

doas rc-update add dbus
doas rc-service dbus start

Autostart Picom, Sakura, and other applications by adding them to your i3 config:

exec --no-startup-id picom
exec --no-startup-id feh --bg-fill /path/to/wallpaper.jpg
exec --no-startup-id flameshot
exec --no-startup-id sakura

Step 9: Set up GTK Themes and Icons

Install lxappearance to configure your GTK themes, icons, and cursor:

doas apk add lxappearance

Note: You can install any GTK themes or icon packs you prefer, such as:

doas apk add mate-themes papirus-icon-theme capitaine-cursors

Step 10: Enable Audio with ALSA

Install alsa-utils to enable audio:

doas apk add alsa-utils

Now, run alsamixer and press m on your keyboard to unmute the sound. Use the up arrow to increase the volume level.

Note: If you have multiple audio devices, press F6 to select the device you want to use, or stick with the default one.

Note: To save your settings, run the following command in the terminal:

doas alsactl store

***Et voilà!***