Setting up the terminal/console program Alacritty to be usable (e.g., on ArcoLinux)

The default setup of the terminal program in ArcoLinux is not OK. In particular, the opacity makes it practically unusable. Here is a description of how to configure it to get it into a usable state.

Introduction

Under the surface, the default terminal program chosen by ArcoLinux is Alacritty.

The most obvious problem: Transparency

By default, the window and/or the desktop underneath bleeds through. This is useless, unnecessary, and makes it unusable! Like for blinking RGB lighting on a mechanical keyboards or the HTML blink tag, it may work for demos, but not for any serious use.

Change it to be opaque:

Edit file alacritty.yml:
```
        vi ~/.config/alacritty/alacritty.yml
	
```
(It assumes proficiency with vi or Vim. If not, use some other editor, like Geany).
Change the setting ‘opacity’ from 0.8 to 1.0. It is about line 70, near “Background opacity”
Save and quit:
```
:wq
```

Note: It takes effect immediately. There isn’t any need to restart anything.

Zoom

The initial font size/zoom level may be too small to comfortable.

Temporary: Use keyboard shortcut Ctrl + ‘+’ (and Ctrl + ‘-‘ to zoom out). Note: This does not work for URxvt (see below)

Default folder

It starts in </home/embo/Desktop> (for a user named “embo” and in the ArcoLinux default configuration), a fairly useless place to start.

As for transparency, change setting working_directory in file alacritty.yml (for a user named “embo”):

working_directory: /home/embo

Note that “~” does not work. It must be an absolute path.

Other notes

There isn’t a global clipboard, so copied content must be pasted before the source application is closed, in this case Alacritty.

Confusion caused by two different terminal programs

Alacritty is available directly from the Alt + Esc menu: “Open Terminal Here”

Whereas there is a similar one in the “Applications” sub menu:

Alt + Esc → “Applications” → “Terminal Emulator”

But it is crippled, e.g., zoom (using keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + ‘+’ and Ctrl + ‘-‘) does not work. Under the surface it is the terminal program URxvt.