1 files changed, 27 insertions, 76 deletions
diff --git a/_log/suckless-software.md b/_log/suckless-software.md
index 21c9f88..02cf88f 100644
--- a/_log/suckless-software.md
+++ b/_log/suckless-software.md
@@ -1,89 +1,40 @@
 ---
-title: How to manage Suckless software installations
+title: Suckless upgrade workflow
 date: 2025-11-30
 layout: post
 ---
 
-Since <a href="https://suckless.org/" class="external" target="_blank"
-rel="noopener noreferrer">suckless</a> software requires users to modify the
-source code and recompile to customize, I need a way to maintain patches over
-the long term while retaining the ability to upgrade the software as new
-versions are released.
+Workflow for managing suckless patches across upgrades:
 
-## Initial setup
+Initial setup:
+- Clone from suckless
+- Reset to stable tag
+- Set push URL to my repo (git.asciimx.com)
+- Pull from upstream, push to mine
 
-When using a suckless program, I usually begin by cloning the project and
-setting the remote push URL to my own git repository:
+Config changes only:
+- Edit config.h (or let make generate it)
+- make clean install
+- Commit, push
 
-```
-git clone git://git.suckless.org/dwm
-git reset --hard <tag>
-git remote set-url --push origin git@git.asciimx.com:/repos/dwm
-```
+dwm/slstatus installs:
+- Can't replace running binaries
+- Kill dwm (Mod+Shift+q)
+- Switch to tty (Ctrl+Alt+F1 on OpenBSD)
+- make install
+- Back to X (Ctrl+Alt+F5)
 
-This way, I can pull updates from the upstream project whenever I want, while
-committing my changes to my git repository. The git reset command aligns my
-branch head with a stable release before applying patches or installing the
-software.
+Upgrades:
+- git pull --rebase
+- git rebase -i  to drop commits between my patch and new stable
+- Keep only: my patches + new stable tag + old history
+- Install, commit, push
 
-If all I want to do is reconfigure the software (e.g., change key bindings),
-which is what I need most of the time, the recommended approach is to modify
-the config.h file. If the config.h isn't yet in the project, the 
-`make clean <target>` command will generate it from the defaults and compile
-the software. The `<target>` is the name of the application (e.g., dwm) found
-in the Makefile. I modify the resulting config.h file and run `make clean
-install` to install the software before committing and pushing my changes to
-the git repo.
+Example:
 
-## dwm and slstatus
+Before: [my patch] -> [6.5] <br>
+After pull: [my patch] -> [random commits] -> [6.6] -> [old stuff] -> [6.5] <br>
+After rebase: [my patch] -> [6.6] -> [old stuff] -> [6.5]
 
-Since dwm and slstatus are always running, `make install` will likely fail for
-them. The operating system may prevent the installer from replacing running
-executables with new ones. Hence, we must first stop the running instances of
-these programs (in my case, using Mod + Shift + q). Then, switch to a tty 
-(Ctrl + Alt + F1), log in, and change the directory to where dwm/slstatus is.
-We can run `make install` to install the software and switch back to the
-graphical session (Ctrl + Alt + F5).
-
-The key combinations for switching to the tty and back may differ across
-systems. The ones listed above are for OpenBSD.
-
-## Subsequent upgrades
-
-When suckless releases a new version, I run `git pull --rebase` to fetch the
-upstream changes and rebase my patches on top of them. Because I tend to use
-stable versions, I perform another interactive rebase to drop the commits
-between the latest stable version tag and my patch before installing the
-software.
-
-Commit log before upgrading:
-
-```
-dt236  My patch.
-3fkdf  Version 6.5.
-```
-
-Commit log after pulling:
-
-```
-w467d  My patch.
-gh25g  A commit.
-g525g  Another commit.
-3fkdf  Version 6.6.
-vd425  Old commit.
-q12vu  Another old commit.
-3fkdf  Version 6.5.
-```
-
-Commit log after the interactive rebase:
-
-```
-h57jh  My patch.
-3fkdf  Version 6.6.
-vd425  Old commit.
-q12vu  Another old commit.
-3fkdf  Version 6.5.
-```
-
-And finally, I commit and push all the changes to my git repository.
+Note: This keeps patch history clean while staying current.