infrastructure/mw-pfeddersheim-workstation

Files

T

ja b0af3dcf12 Workstation optimization: Chrome cleanup, package purge, PCIe audit, service tuning

- Chrome/Chromium cleanup (ADR 0006): removed 10GB chromium profile, broken PWA
  shortcuts, dead BROWSER_CDP_URL from .bashrc, restored Wayland chrome-flags.conf
- Package cleanup (ADR 0007): Tier 1-4 executed, 40 packages removed (KDE Plasma,
  ruby, love, xorg-server, kscreen/kscreenlocker), 45 cascade orphans purged
- Waybar USB module: auto-mount via udisks2, yazi integration, hover details
- Service tuning: disabled bluetooth.service, NetworkManager-wait-online.service
- hypridle fix: upgraded sdbus-cpp 2.3.0->2.3.1-1 (SEGV crash loop resolved)
- PCIe audit: GPU in wrong slot (PCIEX4 vs PCIEX16), 8x bandwidth loss documented
- D-Bus cleanup: removed stale org.kde.kwalletd6.service stub
- Ansible: all changes reflected in vars/main.yml and task files

2026-05-22 16:24:18 +02:00

5.2 KiB

Raw Blame History

ADR 0006: Chrome/Chromium Normalization and Cleanup

Date: 2026-05-22
Status: Accepted
Deciders: Michael Wegener

Context

The workstation had accumulated significant Chrome/Chromium configuration drift over time:

Dual installation: Both google-chrome-stable (148.0.7778.178) and orphaned chromium configs
Dead data directories:
- ~/.config/chromium/ (1.4 GB of stale profile data)
- ~/.local/chrome-cdp/ (8.6 GB Chrome DevTools Protocol debug profile, no longer used)
Broken PWA desktop entries: 13 non-functional .desktop files in ~/.local/share/applications/
Orphaned packages: chromium-widevine (DRM codec plugin for non-existent Chromium)
Dead shell integrations: BROWSER_CDP_URL environment variable auto-population in ~/.bashrc
Wayland compatibility: chrome-flags.conf needed Wayland-specific flags for native Wayland rendering

This drift made it difficult to:

Understand which browser is authoritative
Maintain clean Ansible playbooks
Ensure consistent Wayland behavior
Avoid confusion from broken PWA shortcuts

Decision

Standardize on google-chrome-stable as the sole browser and remove all Chromium-related artifacts:

1. Remove Dead Data Directories

✅ Delete ~/.config/chromium/ entirely (1.4 GB freed)
✅ Delete ~/.local/chrome-cdp/ entirely (8.6 GB freed)

2. Uninstall Orphaned Packages

✅ pacman -R chromium-widevine (17.41 MiB freed)

3. Delete Broken PWA Desktop Entries

✅ Removed 13 non-functional .desktop files from ~/.local/share/applications/
✅ Deleted 4 PWA manifest directories from ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Web Applications/Manifest Resources/

4. Clean Shell Environment

✅ Removed BROWSER_CDP_URL auto-population (lines 140-141) from ~/.bashrc
Bash startup improved from ~60ms to ~3ms

5. Restore Wayland Configuration

✅ Ansible role dev-tools already manages ~/.config/chrome-flags.conf with Wayland flags
✅ Playbook re-applied to restore --ozone-platform=auto and other Wayland optimizations

6. Update Ansible for Future Maintenance

✅ Added cleanup tasks to dev-tools role to remove known-dead packages/directories
✅ Documented cleanup procedures in CHANGELOG

Consequences

Positive

10 GB disk space recovered on root filesystem
Clear browser choice: Only google-chrome-stable is installed and managed
Faster shell startup: Removed unnecessary curl call to localhost:9222
Clean desktop: PWA shortcuts now only show functional applications
Wayland-native rendering: Chrome uses --ozone-platform=auto for native Wayland
Maintainable configuration: Ansible now includes cleanup tasks for future orphan removal

Negative

None significant. Google Chrome is the sole browser, reducing cognitive load.

Neutral

AWDI (A Web Developer Interface) tools that required CDP connections must now launch Chrome with --remote-debugging-port=9222 manually if needed.

Technical Details

Current Browser Installation

google-chrome-stable  148.0.7778.178-1  (AUR: paru)

Ansible Management

Package installation: ansible/roles/dev-tools/tasks/main.yml (lines 112-120)
Chrome flags: ansible/roles/dev-tools/tasks/main.yml (lines 122-135) with --tags chrome
Cleanup tasks: ansible/roles/dev-tools/tasks/main.yml (lines 137-158) with --tags cleanup

Files Affected

Deleted:
- ~/.config/chromium/ (1.4 GB)
- ~/.local/chrome-cdp/ (8.6 GB)
- 13 .desktop files in ~/.local/share/applications/
- 4 PWA manifest dirs in ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Web Applications/Manifest Resources/
Modified:
- ~/.bashrc (removed CDP_URL lines)
- ~/.config/chrome-flags.conf (restored via Ansible)
Uninstalled:
- chromium-widevine (17.41 MiB)

Hyprland Integration

SUPER+B binds to uwsm app -- google-chrome-stable (unchanged)
Waybar CDP module removed (no longer needed without debug profile)
Cheatsheet references updated to reflect Chrome-only workflow

Alternatives Considered

Keep Chromium Installed

Pros: Open-source browser, no Google telemetry
Cons: Two browsers to maintain, orphaned packages, confusing shortcuts
Decision: Rejected. Google Chrome provides better Wayland support and is already the daily driver.

Preserve `chrome-cdp` Profile

Pros: Could be reactivated for debugging, Playwright/Puppeteer testing
Cons: 8.6 GB wasted space, not used in 3+ months, on-demand launch is trivial
Decision: Rejected. AWDI tools can start Chrome with --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir=/tmp/chrome-debug if needed.

Automated PWA Scrubbing

Pros: Could remove all PWA configs via Ansible
Cons: Risk of removing actively-used PWAs (OnlyOffice, JetBrains Toolbox, etc.)
Decision: Rejected. Manually scrubbed dead PWAs, left functional ones intact.

References

ADR 0004: Start-Hyprland Override — Wayland session management
ansible/roles/dev-tools/tasks/main.yml — Chrome package and flags management
CHANGELOG.md — 2026-05-22 cleanup entry
docs/tech/stack.md — Current software audit (updated)

5.2 KiB Raw Blame History