Created by David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH), the visionary behind Ruby on Rails, Omakub isn’t just another script; it’s an “omakase” experience for your Ubuntu 24.04+ development setup; it’s important to note that this works fine on most Ubuntu derivative distros (such as Pop!_OS) as well, so you are not limited to stock Ubuntu. In Japanese cuisine, omakase means “I’ll leave it up to you,” where the chef presents a series of dishes, trusting their expertise to deliver a harmonious and delightful meal. Omakub brings that same philosophy to your developer workstation by making a good chunk of those configuration decisions for you. It should be noted that Linux being Linux, you don’t have to stick with everything Omakub gives you out the box and can (and probably should) use it as a starting place to setup your dream workstation.
So, what’s on the menu?
Omakub includes a thoughtful blend of open-source and commercial software, designed to get you productive immediately. While the exact list might evolve, you can expect tools like:
- Alacritty with Zellij: A blazing-fast terminal paired with a modern terminal multiplexer for efficient multi-pane and session management.
- Neovim (with LazyVim) and VSCode: Catering to both Vim enthusiasts and those who prefer a more traditional IDE, both are integrated with a unified theme.
- Gnome Tweaks: The default Ubuntu UI is substantially tweaked for a keyboard-first, window-tiling workflow, emphasizing speed over flashy animations.
- Essential Command-Line Tools: A host of powerful utilities like
eza,fzf,rg, andzoxideto supercharge your command-line experience. - Browsers and Communication Tools: Often includes Chrome (alongside Firefox), Spotify, and Zoom to cover common daily needs.
The beauty of Omakub lies in its “opinionated” nature. DHH isn’t just throwing random software at your system; he’s applying years of experience to create a cohesive, integrated experience. It’s for developers new to Linux (likely coming from macOS), or those who simply want to bypass the configuration treadmill and jump straight into coding. And fear not, if something isn’t to your taste, Linux’s flexibility still allows you to remove or customize as you see fit. To give you an example of deviating from the stock setup, I use Warp for my terminal, Dracula Pro for my text / coding themes and VSCode for my code editor. The choice is yours. You get a tasteful and practical set of starting tools but retain the freedom to go our own way.
Another extremely useful Omakub feature is that it sets up common development tools for you based on what you need. In my case that’s a few databases, the Rails stack, a Python stack, Docker, a C++ stack and of course mise to manage various language versions for various projects.
Ready to try the omakase approach to your Ubuntu setup? Check out the official Omakub website for installation instructions and more details: Omakub.org. Also, if you want to bring your legacy data forward into the age of automation, checkout Alice!
