Lightning Talk: Development on restricted machines.

A high-speed guide to "User Space Sovereignty." Learn how to bypass IT restrictions and no-admin hurdles using portable, Rust-based tools (mise, uv, Neovim) and dotfile automation.
The Goal: Suffer the setup once; be productive on any machine instantly. ⚡

Transcript

2. It's Day 1. You get your corporate laptop. You open the terminal. $ sudo apt install neovim nodejs python3 [sudo] password for user: ********** user is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
3. • Stuck with System Python 2.7 • Can't install build tools • Using Notepad or an ancient IDE • Zero Productivity
4. Stop asking for permission. If we can't touch /usr/bin, we conquer $HOME. The Goal: Build a reproducible, high-speed empire inside your user folder. No admin rights required.
5. Forget nvm , pyenv , or manual PATH hacking. (formerly rtx) is your Polyglot Manager. • (Blazingly fast ) • Manages Node, Python, Go, Java, Rust, Terraform��� • Sets environment variables per directory. # In ~/projects/legacy-board/ $ mise use node@14 python@3.8 # The environment switches instantly.
6. Python setup on restricted Windows/Linux is pure pain. Enter uv (by Astral). • Replaces pip, pip-tools, and virtualenv. • than pip. • Creates virtual environments in milliseconds without touching the system registry. $ uv init $ uv add -r requirements.txt # Done before you can sip your coffee.
7. VS Code feeling bloated? Can't install extensions because of a firewall? is the Neovim Version Manager. 1. Downloads the binary to your user folder. 2. Runs instantly. Pair it with a (Kickstart or LazyVim) and you have a full IDE (LSP, Autocomplete, Debugger) running in a terminal.
8. Ubuntu Window Management is��� lacking. Don't suffer. Tile. • : A GPU-accelerated terminal that is a single portable binary. • : A terminal workspace (like tmux, but friendlier). Why? It gives you the same tiling interface on Windows, Linux, and MacOS. Your muscle memory never has to switch contexts.
9. Embedded Engineers know the value of . Treat your laptop config like Firmware. • : Your .bashrc , config.lua , .gitconfig . • : A simple install script (with ). • : Run it on a new machine. $ git clone my-dotfiles �� cd my-dotfiles �� ./install.sh # 3 minutes later, this generic laptop is YOURS.
10. : Setting up dotfiles and learning CLI tools takes a weekend. It is hard. : You suffer once now to enjoy ease forever. • New job? . • Laptop crashed? . • Restricted OS? .
11. mise Polyglot & Rust-fast uv Instant Venvs, no global mess bob (Nvim) Portable binary IDE WezTerm Single-file, GPU-rendered Zellij Tiling for the terminal GNU Stow Symlink magic for Dotfiles