Added usage section to readme

README.md

@@ -1,12 +1,63 @@
+<!--
+---
+YY: 24
+0M: 11
+MINOR: 0
+MICRO: 1
+---
+-->
 # handdara's dotfiles
 
-`hix`: NixOS config
+![Version Badge](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-24.11.0.1-a47daa?style=for-the-badge&logoColor=white&labelColor=616097)
 
-`fst`: first layer: core tools that have their own config repo. right now this is: neovim, wezterm & fish
+`hix`: NixOS configuration files
+
+`fst`: first layer: core tools. right now this is: neovim, wezterm, git & fish.
 
 - `git`: git config
 - `hez`: wezterm config
 - `him`: neovim config
 - `hish`: fish config
 
 `snd`: secondary layer: tools that don't fit into core. their dotfiles are here
+
+## usage
+
+1.  install NixOS 
+1.  enable flakes set hostname
+    1.  add `nix.settings.experimental-features = [ "nix-command" "flakes" ];` to `/etc/nixos/configuration.nix`
+        and change the hostname on the line `networking.hostName = "<HOSTNAME-GOES-HERE>"; # Define your hostname.`
+    1.  save and rebuild with `sudo nixos-rebuild switch`. then reboot
+1.  installing home manager
+    1.  add home manager channel by running 
+        `nix-channel --add https://github.com/nix-community/home-manager/archive/release-24.05.tar.gz home-manager` 
+        and then `nix-channel --update` *(might need to change out the home-manager release from 
+        24.05 to unstable or whichever channel is being used)*
+    1.  reboot
+    1.  run `nix-shell '<home-manager>' -A install` to install home manager standalone
+1.  personally I like to drop into a shell with some of my favorite utilities to do the rest
+    `nix-shell -p neovim fish zoxide fzf eza git just --run "fish"`
+1.  `git clone` this repo 
+1.  make a new folder `dotfiles/hix/machines/<HOSTNAME-GOES-HERE>/` in this repo and copy 
+    `/etc/nixos/hardware-configuration.nix` into it
+1.  make a new file `dotfiles/hix/machines/<HOSTNAME-GOES-HERE>/bootloader.nix` and copy the bootloader
+    code from `/etc/nixos/configuration.nix` into it
+    - here's an ezxample 
+      ```nix
+      # bootloader.nix content:
+      { config, pkgs, ... }:
+      {
+        boot.loader.grub.enable = true;
+        boot.loader.grub.device = "/dev/nvme0n1";
+        boot.loader.grub.useOSProber = true;
+      }
+      ```
+1.  edit the `sysSettings.hostname` in `dotfiles/hix/flake.nix`:
+    ```nix
+    sysSettings = {
+        system = "x86_64-linux";
+        hostname = "<HOSTNAME-GOES-HERE>";
+        # ... more code ...
+    };
+    ```
+1.  run `just purge && just switch`