Arch Linux Install Script

Automates the post-installation setup of a minimal Arch system into a fully configured desktop. Currently targets KDE Plasma on Wayland; Qtile is planned but not implemented yet (the script exits if you pick it). Pairs with the Dots repository, which provides all the configuration files.

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What it does

1. Sudo caching — asks for your password once up front and keeps it alive in the background, instead of prompting repeatedly through the script
2. Menu UI — installs dialog (an official repo package) so every prompt below is an ncurses box instead of plain text
3. Desktop choice — prompts for KDE Plasma or Qtile. Only KDE is implemented right now; picking Qtile exits the script.
4. Hardware detection — checks detected GPU(s) against packages/core.txt and offers (via a dialog box) to add any missing driver packages (e.g. nvidia-open-dkms, vulkan-intel, vulkan-radeon)
5. Package group choice — packages/core.txt always installs; a checklist box lets you skip any of the optional groups (dev tools, office, Wayland/tiling extras, VPN & sync, printing)
6. Pacman tweaks — enables the ILoveCandy animation and parallel downloads
7. Locale — generates and switches to en_US.UTF-8, since en_GB.UTF-8 isn't present on a minimal install and glibc complains otherwise
8. System update — full sync and upgrade before installing anything
9. base-devel — installed via pacman so makepkg can build yay
10. yay — bootstraps the AUR helper (needed for most packages)
11. Packages — installs packages/core.txt plus whichever optional groups were selected, including PipeWire (KDE's default audio stack)
12. Fonts — installs everything in fonts.txt
13. Dotfiles — clones the Dots repo and copies .config/ and .local/ into place (Neovim config included); sets up a system-wide bash profile, Qt theming, and the gtkrc-janitor user service
14. Services — enables sddm (display manager) always; a checklist box lets you skip CUPS (printing) or Bluetooth
15. Cleanup — removes default bash files, clears the package cache, and initialises antidot for XDG compliance
16. Reboot

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Prerequisites

• A minimal Arch install (or an Arch derivative — see caveats below)
• git installed (base-devel is installed by the script itself)
• Active internet connection with only one network manager running (if you have both NetworkManager and systemd-networkd enabled, disable the one you're not using)

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How to run

git clone https://github.com/DNM1008/Install-Script
cd Install-Script
# Optional: edit files under packages/ and fonts.txt to add or remove packages
./install.sh

The script asks for your sudo password once at the start, pauses a few times for dialog-box menus and confirmations, and pauses once more at the end before rebooting. Run it in a real terminal (not piped or redirected) so dialog has a TTY to draw on.

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Customising packages

• packages/core.txt — always installed, one package name per line; both official and AUR packages are supported (yay handles both)
• packages/dev.txt, office.txt, wayland-tools.txt, vpn-sync.txt, printing.txt — optional groups; the script shows a menu to skip any of them at install time
• fonts.txt — same format as packages/core.txt; font packages are installed in a separate pass

Edit these before running the script to include or exclude anything. Be careful removing packages that others depend on.

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Running on a desktop-ready Arch install or derivative

If you already have a working desktop (EndeavourOS, Manjaro, etc.):

• Display manager — disable or remove your existing DM service, or delete sddm from packages/core.txt. Two DMs enabled at once will cause a broken boot.
• Bluetooth / printing — already set up on most derivatives; safe to reinstall but it adds time, or skip them in the services/package-group menus.

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After the reboot

These are not handled by the script and need to be done manually:

• Printer driver — CUPS is installed and enabled, but you need the driver for your specific printer. Check the Arch Wiki for the right package.
• Office suite — install pandoc + texlive for document work, or libreoffice for a full suite.
• Default terminal — see NOTES.md; the script doesn't configure which terminal KDE or Thunar use.
• Display configuration — KDE's System Settings handles multi-monitor layout; no manual xrandr setup needed like the old Qtile config required.
• Bluetooth pairing — use bluetuith (TUI) or bluetoothctl to pair devices.

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Related repositories

Repo	Purpose
Dots	All configuration files deployed by this script
Arch Install	Base Arch installation guide (before this script)