journey into clear linux

 why write this?

• document my thoughts while i still remember them
• organize my thoughts
• help others deal with similar issues
• learn things in a structured way
• get feedback and help

use case

• hobbyist with finance background playing with machine learning
• seems quite rare based on survey results

why linux?

• development environment to easily tweak code, build, and test ideas
• stable platform to run contributions to lczero (windows crashes after a few days)

why clear linux?

• performance benchmarks from phoronix
• had to reinstall ubuntu anyway
• clean yet functional look that seems to target functionality above all else
• stateless philosophy should help maintain a clean work environment without endless re-configurations that pile on top of each other and a wipe is required
• obsession with being as up-to-date as possible with the latest and greatest (my function is to minimize regret)
• hassle-free way to get up and running with multiple tools without digging into the documentation of each (bundle approach) 
• active community that discusses real issues productively (example reddit post)
• hipster nerd cred

installation timeline

1. installed nvidia driver (clearlinux.org tutorial page)
2. installed CUDA,  cuDNN
3. installed and built lc0 and lczero-client
4. installed gTile to organise my desktop better, and get rid of whitespace (maximise signal to noise ratio!)
5. installed Tilix as a tiling terminal manager, since I wanted to run multiple terminals and keep them tidy. works quite well.
6. installed gotop to rice it up a bit and show a fancy ascii cpu and process tracker which I actually find quite handy to leave up in a corner (gotop, unixporn inspiration)
7. downloaded visual studio code for use as general purpose text editor and IDE (based on survey of clear linux users)
8. GnomeMpv flatpak to get video to work as per reddit post (works for twitch and youtube)
9. google play music desktop player
10.  os-testsuite-phoronix: to get 7zip

useful links
this page could have streamlined installing nvidia drivers https://community.clearlinux.org/t/bash-scripts-to-automate-installation-of-nvidia-proprietary-driver/368

why blog here?
investigated github pages which seemed easy, and appealing to interface and update through git on the commandline. configuration was mostly smooth until I got to setting up jekyll which seems a bit daunting . I got to page 2 of the tutorial (there are 10) then realised I have a blogger blog. and here I am. now I realise I'd probably miss the benefits of a WYSWYG editor. and not having blogger's functionality and ease-of-use is a burden I don't see a reason to put up with