Install Firefox, a popular web browser known for its privacy features and wide range of extensions. Essential for browsing the web.

bash sudo pacman -S firefox

Enable experimental GNOME settings for monitor scaling. This feature adjusts how the desktop is rendered on high-DPI displays, making everything look sharper and correctly scaled, especially if you use a HiDPI screen.

gsettings set org.gnome.mutter experimental-features "['scale-monitor-framebuffer']"

Install Git for version control, then clone the Yay AUR helper. Yay allows you to easily install and manage packages from the Arch User Repository (AUR), which includes community-contributed packages that aren't available in the official repositories.

sudo pacman -S git
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git
cd yay
makepkg -si

Install 1Password using Yay. 1Password is a secure password manager that helps you safely store and manage your passwords across different platforms.

yay -S 1password

Enable another experimental GNOME setting for Xwayland native scaling, which allows better scaling support for apps that run under Xwayland (legacy X11 apps running on Wayland), providing a smoother experience when mixing different display protocols.

gsettings set org.gnome.mutter experimental-features '["scale-monitor-framebuffer", "xwayland-native-scaling"]'

Install Intel microcode updates to ensure your CPU is up-to-date with the latest firmware patches from Intel. These patches are crucial for fixing known vulnerabilities and improving CPU stability and performance.

sudo pacman -S intel-ucode

Install UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) to help secure your system by managing incoming and outgoing network traffic. Enabling it at startup ensures that your firewall rules are applied as soon as your system boots, providing continuous protection.

sudo pacman -S ufw
sudo systemctl enable ufw --now
sudo ufw enable

Install the NVIDIA Settings utility, which provides a graphical interface to manage NVIDIA GPU settings like display resolution, refresh rates, and performance profiles. It's particularly useful for tuning your GPU for different workloads.

sudo pacman -S nvidia-settings

Enable the TRIM feature for SSDs to maintain their performance over time. TRIM allows the operating system to inform the SSD which blocks of data are no longer in use, improving write speeds and extending the lifespan of your drive.

sudo systemctl enable fstrim.timer

Enable NVIDIA DRM (Direct Rendering Manager) modeset to allow the kernel to manage your display directly. This is important for features like a smooth graphical boot, better power management, and proper synchronization between the display and the GPU. It’s also necessary for Wayland to function correctly with NVIDIA drivers.
Add nvidia-drm to /etc/mkinitcpio.conf for early loading of the module:

MODULES=(nvidia nvidia_modeset nvidia_uvm nvidia_drm)

Rebuild the initramfs to apply the new configuration. This updates the initial RAM filesystem used at boot, ensuring the NVIDIA modules are loaded correctly.

sudo mkinitcpio -P

Create a configuration file to enable DRM modeset for NVIDIA, which helps with smoother transitions between the console and graphical interfaces and can improve performance with Wayland.

sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia.conf

add this:

options nvidia-drm modeset=1

Install commonly used fonts, including DejaVu, Liberation, and Noto, which cover a wide range of characters and symbols, including emoji. This ensures that text appears correctly in most applications and websites.

sudo pacman -S ttf-dejavu ttf-liberation noto-fonts noto-fonts-emoji

Install additional libraries for font rendering like freetype2, cairo, and fontconfig. These libraries enhance how fonts are displayed on your screen, improving text clarity and readability.

sudo pacman -S freetype2 cairo fontconfig

Configure local font settings to enable anti-aliasing and hinting, making fonts look smoother and more readable, especially on high-resolution displays.

sudo nano /etc/fonts/local.conf

add this:

<match target="font">
    <edit mode="assign" name="antialias">
        <bool>true</bool>
    </edit>
    <edit mode="assign" name="hinting">
        <bool>true</bool>
    </edit>
    <edit mode="assign" name="hintstyle">
        <const>hintslight</const>
    </edit>
    <edit mode="assign" name="lcdfilter">
        <const>lcddefault</const>
    </edit>
</match>

Install VA-API and VDPAU drivers for hardware-accelerated video decoding. These libraries enable smoother video playback by offloading the processing to the GPU, reducing CPU load and improving video performance.

sudo pacman -S libva-vdpau-driver libva-utils vdpauinfo

Install the Matcha GTK theme using Yay for a modern and visually appealing look. Themes can greatly enhance your desktop environment's aesthetics.

yay -S matcha-gtk-theme

Install the Papirus icon theme for a clean and consistent appearance. This icon set offers a unified design across various applications, giving a more polished look to your desktop.

sudo pacman -S papirus-icon-theme

Optional: Install a nice icon pack from GitHub for further customization, adding a personal touch to your desktop environment.
Nice icon pack:
https://github.com/vinceliuice/Tela-circle-icon-theme

Install Zsh, a powerful and customizable shell that can replace Bash. Zsh offers more advanced features, including better auto-completion and theme support. Set Zsh as your default shell to take advantage of these features.

bash sudo pacman -S zsh
chsh -s $(which zsh)

Install a Nerd font like Meslo for better compatibility with terminal tools and plugins, especially those that require special symbols, such as powerline or Oh-My-Zsh themes.

sudo pacman -S ttf-meslo-nerd

Install the Powerlevel10k theme for Zsh, known for its high customizability and informative prompt. This theme enhances your terminal experience with a visually appealing and dynamic prompt that can display git status, system info, and more.

git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git ~/powerlevel10k
echo 'source ~/powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k.zsh-theme' >>~/.zshrc

Install Alacritty, a fast, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator known for its performance and configurability. Ideal for users who want a snappy and minimal terminal experience.

sudo pacman -S alacritty

Configure system locale settings to use Dutch (Netherlands) as the default language. This ensures that applications and system messages are displayed in Dutch.

sudo nano /etc/locale.gen

Uncomment the line: nl_NL.UTF-8 UTF-8

sudo locale-gen

Install Bluetooth support packages and enable the Bluetooth service, allowing you to connect and manage Bluetooth devices like wireless headphones, keyboards, and mice.

sudo pacman -S bluez bluez-utils

sudo systemctl enable bluetooth --now

Install an LTS (Long Term Support) kernel as a fallback option alongside your main kernel. The LTS kernel is known for its stability and long-term support, making it a reliable choice if newer kernel updates cause issues with your hardware or software. Update the GRUB configuration to include the new kernel in the boot menu.

sudo pacman -S linux-lts linux-lts-headers
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg