Now, before you start rolling your eyes and thinking “oh great, another pointless debate,” let me assure you that this is not just some petty argument over aesthetics. Nope, we’re talking about serious stuff here!

First off, let’s take a look at Powerlevel10k (PL10K). This bad boy has been around for quite some time now and it’s known for its sleek design and customizable features. But one thing that sets PL10K apart from other shell themes is its icon spacing or lack thereof, as the case may be.

You see, in PL10K, icons are placed very close together, almost touching each other. This might seem like a minor detail at first glance, but trust me when I say that it can have a significant impact on your overall shell experience. For starters, it makes everything look more compact and organized which is great if you’re someone who likes to keep things tidy and streamlined.

But there are also some downsides to this approach. For one thing, the icons can sometimes overlap or merge together, making them difficult to distinguish from each other. This can be especially problematic when dealing with similar-looking symbols (like arrows or circles) that might otherwise blend in with their surroundings.

On the other hand, we have Powerlevel9k (PL9K), which takes a slightly different approach to icon spacing. Instead of cramming everything together like PL10K does, PL9k gives each icon its own little space to breathe which can make them easier to spot and identify at a glance.

Now, some people might argue that this extra breathing room comes at the cost of screen real estate but I would counter that by saying that it’s better to have clear, distinct icons than cramped, overlapping ones. Plus, PL9K also offers other customization options (like font size and color scheme) that can help you tailor your shell experience to your specific needs and preferences.

Of course, this is just one small aspect of these two themes (there are many other factors to consider as well), but I think it’s an important one nonetheless. Ultimately, the choice between PL10K and PL9K will depend on your personal preferences and priorities so feel free to experiment with both and see which one works best for you!