Portable Neovim and Docker shenanigans

How would you like to port your Neovim between different platforms and machines using a single token and command while knowing exactly how it will behave?

Most of my Docker containers have been running services using compose instead of being temporary execution environments.

Trying out Helix in an earlier article inspired me to containerize my Neovim setup. During this process, I learned a lot and had some aha moments.

Getting a “proper” keyboard

I bought a Scylla keyboard from Bastard keyboards.

I was initially looking at Kinesis Advantage, but due to pricing and shipping, I decided to go with the Scylla, and I’m happy with my choice.

Here are my thoughts after two weeks of using the Scylla.

Why a split keyboard

My main motivator is to reduce wrist strain and improve typing comfort. Secondary motivator is, of course, the cool factor.

How to set up a NixOS server in UpCloud

This is not about Nix, but more of a tutorial on how I set up a server using UpCloud. I decided to document the steps I took to create a NixOS playground for myself.

Requirements

• UpCloud account
• SSH keys for secure access
• At least some Linux experience

Why UpCloud

Honestly, I just checked European Alternatives and chose UpCloud, because it’s Finnish.

This a continuation to my last article about Helix.

Being inspired, but I still came back

My brief run with Helix is coming to an end for now. After using Helix for around two weeks I started having an urge to bring my Neovim config up to speed instead of launching Helix.

What I gained from trying Helix was some much-needed perspective and joy to delve into my Neovim configuration. Instead of making large changes, I mostly went through my config again trying to discover things that I had missed or forgotten about.

Investigation time

Helix has been on my mind for a long time, but I never got around to it. It is time to fix that.

I’m doing this comparison between Helix and Neovim, which has been my editor of choice for a long time.

This document is WIP, so it might not be completely factually correct. I’m writing this while learning.

Should you?

Yes, even if you are a hardcore Vimmer I think you should try Helix.

ProtonVPN kinda broke my WireGuard config and took down dnsmasq

It’s always DNS. Well, kinda, but not really.

Symptoms

My WireGuard connection was working, but I wasn’t able to access my services.

# Everything was normal both on the client and on the server
sudo wg show

Hopping on to the server, I quickly discovered that dnsmasq wasn’t running and would not start.

sudo systemctl restart dnsmasq.service
Job for dnsmasq.service failed because the control process exited with error code.
See "systemctl status dnsmasq.service" and "journalctl -xeu dnsmasq.service" for details.

# Relevant part of journalctl
journalctl -xeu dnsmasq.service
systemd-helper[6549]: dnsmasq: unknown interface wg0
dnsmasq[6549]: unknown interface wg0
dnsmasq[6549]: FAILED to start up

Finding out the issue

For reference, my server is running Ubuntu 24.04.