diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index f148a61..8f59640 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -6,15 +6,11 @@
-

- Microfetch -

-

- Microscopic fetch tool in Rust, for NixOS systems, with special emphasis on speed -

+

Microfetch

+

Microscopic fetch tool in Rust, for NixOS systems, with special emphasis on speed


Synopsis
- Features | Motivation
+ Features | Motivation
| Benchmarks
Installation
@@ -65,34 +61,42 @@ on your system: it is pretty _[fast](#benchmarks)_... ## Motivation -Fastfetch, as its name probably hinted, is a very fast fetch tool written in C. -However, I am not interested in _any_ of its additional features, and I'm not -interested in its configuration options. Sure I can _configure_ it when I -dislike the defaults, but how often would I really change the configuration... +[Rube-Goldmark Machine]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg_machine -Microfetch is my response to this problem. It is an _even faster_ fetch tool -that I would've written in Bash and put in my `~/.bashrc` but is _actually_ -incredibly fast because it opts out of all the customization options provided by -tools such as Fastfetch. Ultimately, it's a small, opinionated binary with a -nice size that doesn't bother me, and incredible speed. Customization? No thank -you. I cannot re-iterate it enough, Microfetch is _annoyingly fast_. +Fastfetch, as its name _probably_ already hinted, is a very fast fetch tool +written in C. I used to use Fastfetch on my systems, but I eventually came to +the realization that I am _not interested in any of its additional features_. I +don't use Sixel, I don't change my configuration more than maybe once a year and +I don't even display most of the fields that it does. Sure the configurability +is nice and I can configure the defaults that I do not like but how often do I +really do that? -The project is written in Rust, which comes at the cost of "bloated" dependency -trees and the increased build times, but we make an extended effort to keep the -dependencies minimal and build times managable. The latter is also very easily -mitigated with Nix's binary cache systems. Since Microfetch is already in -Nixpkgs, you are recommended to use it to utilize the binary cache properly. The -usage of Rust _is_ nice, however, since it provides us with incredible tooling -and a very powerful language that allows for Microfetch to be as fast as -possible. Sure C could've been used here as well, but do you think I hate -myself? +Since I already enjoy programming challenges, and don't use a fetch program that +often, I eventually came to try and answer the question _how fast can I make my +fetch script?_ It is an _even faster_ fetch tool that I would've written in Bash +and put in my `~/.bashrc` but is _actually_ incredibly fast because it opts out +of all the customization options provided by tools such as Fastfetch. Since +Fetch scripts are kind of a coming-of-age ritual for most Linux users, I've +decided to use it on my system. You also might be interested if you like the +defaults and like speed. -> [!IMPORTANT] -> **Update as of November 30th, 2025**: -> -> Microfetch now inlines handwritten assembly for even better performance. I -> know I previously said I do not hate myself but I'm beginning to suspect this -> is no longer the case. Enjoy the performance benefits! +Ultimately, it's a small, opinionated binary with a nice size that doesn't +bother me, and incredible speed. Customization? No thank you. I cannot +re-iterate it enough, Microfetch is _annoyingly fast_. It does not, however, +solve a technical problem. The "problem" Microfetch solves is entirely +self-imposed. On the matter of _size_, the project is written in Rust, which +comes at the cost of "bloated" dependency trees and the increased build times, +but we make an extended effort to keep the dependencies minimal and build times +managable. The latter is also very easily mitigated with Nix's binary cache +systems. Since Microfetch is already in Nixpkgs, you are recommended to use it +to utilize the binary cache properly. The usage of Rust _is_ nice, however, +since it provides us with incredible tooling and a very powerful language that +allows for Microfetch to be as fast as possible. ~~Sure C could've been used +here as well, but do you think I hate myself?~~ Microfetch now features +handwritten assembly to unsafely optimize some areas. In hindsight you all +should have seen this coming. Is it faster? Yes. + +Also see: [Rube-Goldmark Machine] ## Benchmarks @@ -200,17 +204,31 @@ You can't. ### Why? -Customization, of any kind, is expensive: I could try reading environment -variables, parse command-line arguments or read a configuration file but all of -those increment execution time and resource consumption by a lot. +Customization, of most kinds, are expensive: I could try reading environment +variables, parse command-line arguments or read a configuration file to allow +configuring various fields but those inflate execution time and the resource +consumption by a lot. Since Microfetch is closer to a code golf challenge than a +program that attempts to fill a gap, I have elected not to make this trade. ### Really? -To be fair, you _can_ customize Microfetch by, well, patching it. It's not the -best way per se, but it will be the only way that does not compromise on speed. +[main module]: ./src/main.rs +[discussions tab]: https://github.com/NotAShelf/microfetch/discussions + +To be fair, you _can_ customize Microfetch by, well, patching it. It is +certainly not the easiest way of doing so but if you are planning to change +something in Microfetch, patching is the best way to go. It will also the only +way that does not compromise on speed, unless you patch in bad code. Various +users have adapted Microfetch to their distribution by patching the +[main module] and inserting the logo of their choice. This is also the best way +to go if you plan to make small changes. If your changes are not small, you +might want to look for a program that is designed to be customizable; Microfetch +is built for maximum performance. The Nix package allows passing patches in a streamlined manner by passing -`.overrideAttrs` to the derivation. +`.overrideAttrs` to the derivation. You can apply your patches in `patches` and +share your derivations with people. Feel free to use the [discussions tab] to +share your own variants of Microfetch! ## Contributing @@ -222,13 +240,22 @@ Contributions that help improve performance in specific areas of Microfetch are welcome. Though, prepare to be bombarded with questions if your changes are large. -## Hacking +### Hacking -A Nix flake is provided. `nix develop` to get started. Direnv users may simply -run `direnv allow` to get started. +A Nix flake is provided. You may use `nix develop` to get started. Direnv users +may instead run `direnv allow` to get a complete environment with shell +integration. -Non-nix users will need `cargo` and `gcc` installed on their system, see -`Cargo.toml` for available release profiles. +Non-Nix user will need `cargo`, `clang` and `mold` installed on their system to +build Microfetch. As Mold seems to yield _slightly_ better results than the +default linker, it has been set as the default in `.cargo/config.toml` for +x86-64 Linux. You may override those defaults using the `RUSTFLAGS` environment +variable. For example: + +```sh +# Use ld instead of Mold +$ RUSTFLAGS="-C linker=/path/to/ld.lld" cargo build +``` ## Thanks @@ -245,6 +272,7 @@ person about current issues. To list a few, special thanks to: - [@sioodmy](https://github.com/sioodmy) - Being cute - [@mewoocat](https://github.com/mewoocat) - The awesome NixOS logo ASCII used in Microfetch +- [@uzaaft](https://github.com/uzaaft) - Helping me going faster Additionally a big thank you to everyone who used, talked about or criticized Microfetch. I might have missed your name here, but you have my thanks.