What is dotfiles?

This repository is one person's personal collection of configuration files for setting up a full Linux desktop environment on Arch Linux. Dotfiles is the common name for these kinds of configuration files, since many of them start with a dot and are normally hidden from view. Rather than a program you run, this is a snapshot of how one developer has their desktop configured, shared so others can copy pieces of it or install the whole thing. The setup is built around Hyprland, a modern tiling window manager for Linux that arranges open windows automatically instead of letting them float freely. It is based on an existing popular Hyprland configuration called ML4W, with the author's own changes and additions layered on top rather than kept as a separate variant. Instead of a mouse driven start menu and taskbar, the desktop is controlled through a status bar called Waybar, a terminal called Kitty, a lock screen called Hyprlock, a system information display called Fastfetch, and a customized shell prompt using a tool called Oh My Posh. A large part of the repository is dedicated to a text editor setup for the terminal, built on a Neovim configuration framework called LazyVim, with the author's own plugins, keyboard shortcuts, and language support added for web development, the Go programming language, and coursework. The repository is organized into clearly separated folders, one for each tool being configured, such as hypr for the window manager and lock screen, nvim for the text editor, and packages for optional lists of software to install through Arch Linux's package managers. Installing it involves cloning the repository, making an included install script executable, and then running that script, with optional flags to also install the listed software packages and to force a specific shell such as zsh or bash. If no shell is specified, the installer detects which one is currently in use and configures that one automatically. Because this is a personal configuration rather than a general purpose application, it is really meant for someone who already runs Arch Linux and wants ideas or a starting point for their own Hyprland setup, rather than something aimed at a first time Linux user.