Some people I’ve seen have lists of software and other things they use on their websites, but I change the things I use rapidly and would have to be constantly updating that page if I had one. At the same time, I know that many people have found programs they enjoy by seeing the software I casually mention I’m using, so it might help people to see a list of a bunch of things I use.
So here’s my solution: do a blog post about what I’m currently using, then potentially write new blog posts with updates. That way, I don’t have to be constantly updating a page with the things I use, since this page is not a living document.
Let’s jump in.
software
A quick preface: I’ve recently been making a push to be able to use my whole operating system with only my keyboard, and I think I’ve finally done it. I’m going to mark things here that have vi-like keybindings (or that you can set to have them).
For those who are interested, here are my dotfiles (ie settings) for many of the apps I use: Imagine I have witty link text here.
web browsing
- qutebrowser (vi-like). This browser is absolutely fantastic for keyboard-based navigation of the web.
- lynx (vi-like when enabled). A terminal-only browser. Also the oldest web browser still in development.
productivity
- neovim (vi-like, duh). Need I say more? I started with vim and ended up switching to neovim. (Both are good, though.)
- timewarrior (CLI-based). Time tracking software I integrate into my scripts.
- vimwiki (vi-like). I use vimwiki, a plugin for vim/neovim, to help me take notes in plain-text Markdown. I used to use Joplin’s terminal interface.
- khal (vi-like) and vdirsyncer (CLI-based). I use these to sync my calendar to a radicale server (self-hosted) through CalDAV.
- todoman (CLI-based). A todo list manager that can read and write from the same CalDAV calendar as above.
- khard (CLI-based) and vdirsyncer (CLI-based). Similar to khal, khard takes my contact list from my radicale server and lets me manipulate it from the terminal.
operating system (and related)
- NixOS is my current distrobution of choice. I’m considering switching to something else, but also want to see how long I can keep at it, since my full year on NixOS may be a new record for me.
- SwayWM (vi-like) is my preferred window manager.
- foot is my terminal emulator of choice.
password management
- KeePassXC is what I used to use.
- I moved to pass (CLI-based).
- I use qute-pass to use those passwords in the terminal.
games
- Kerbal Space Program
- Endless Sky (It just got a new release but I haven’t tried it yet)
file management
- git (CLI-based). I mean, who doesn’t?
- mr (CLI-based) to manage my numerous git repos.
- syncthing. Really great for syncing files between devices. Even better if you have a VPS or always-on machine connected, since you no longer have to have the other devices on at the same time to sync between them.
- borgmatic (CLI-based) to make backups. Really cool!
- Calibre is pretty much the final word when it comes to ebook management. Seriously, there’s nothing even in the same ballpark.
services
- Codeberg as my sourceforge to manage and host my git repositories.
- I used to use Joplin Cloud Basic (with a student discount) to sync my notes from Joplin. I could self-host something to sync to, but I paid a little for this instead to support the developer. The note publishing feature has also been handy when I want to share my notes from a class with someone. I haven’t yet come up a solution to pair with vimwiki, which I now use for notes.
- Porkbun is where I buy my domain names.
- Uberspace for hosting my websites. I recently switched to them from a conventional VPS and am loving the experience. It’s more aimed toward personal websites and self-hosting than business use, but that fits me well.
- Weightless Books is where I buy DRM-free ebooks. Specifically, I currently subscribe to Clarkesworld and Forever Magazine through Weightless Books.
- Borgbase, for remote backups. I use Borgmatic as my Borg client, as I mentioned earlier.
- Zoho as my email host.
- Lowkey.zone is where my Mastodon account is currently hosted. That said, I’m planning to move to my own forthcoming Polymaths.social when it launches.
- Tailscale, which is fantastic for connecting devices. Another great feature I discovered recently for it is the Tailscale Funnel.
self-hosted
- Immich, for hosting my photos. (I use syncthing to then sync that to my main laptop, from which I back them up to Borgbase.)
- gonic, for streaming my music collection to my phone
- radicale, for hosting CalDAV and CardDAV
- hastebin, for sharing quick snippets of code or text. My instance is public and you’re welcome to use it! I’m considering moving to bin, though.
- Firefly III to track my finances.
- Maloja as a self-hosted scrobbling database to track my music listening—still working out some tricky things with it, but it’s very cool.
- Miniflux as a feed aggregator. I just started using it and am already in love.
mobile
I won’t give links here, but you should be able to find them.
- Firefox
- When I have a Mastodon client (I usually delete it to help keep me from distraction), I use IceCubesApp, which is delightful
- VLC
- SubStreamer (as a subsonic client to stream from gonic)
- Pass for iOS (though it hasn’t been syncing over ssh lately—I need to figure out a workaround)
- Immich
- Tailscale
- Signal
- WhatsApp, GroupMe, and Slack (unfortunately, I have people I need to communicate with who through these)
Overall I try not to use my phone much. I prefer doing things on my laptop when possible.
coding
- Lume as a static site generator (SSG) for this site and most of my others.
- readable.css as the base stylesheet for my sites. Full disclosure, I created readable.css myself, so I may be biased in favor of it, but I really do think it’s a great option.
other
- cmus (vi-like) as a terminal music client.
- tut-tui (vi-like) as a terminal Mastodon client.
- aerc (vi-like) as a terminal email client. Quite honestly, this is the first time I’ve actually enjoyed going through my mail.
- mouseless for software-side keyboard remapping. I use it to match what I do with QMK on my mechanical keyboard so that I can use the same keybindings on my laptop. I’m considering switching to keyd, but it doesn’t have built-in mouse keys support, and I wasn’t a fan of warpd, which it recommends pairing with to get mouse keys, but which didn’t work great on SwayWM.
- abcde (CLI-based) to rip CDs for my music collection and beets to manage the collection (both are CLI-based).
- newsboat (vi-like) as a terminal feed reader. I currently have it set up to use my Miniflux instance as a backend.
hardware
devices
- Framework Laptop 13 with 12th-generation Intel. I posted a full review here on Musings after my first semester using it. (This thing is great!)
- A handed-down iPhone SE (2020).
- An old Dell Inspiron n411z as a home server.
peripherals
- Soundcore Life Q10 headphones. These are fantastic, with 60-hour battery life and really great sound quality for a great price. For $10 more, there’s a model with active noise cancelling, but it doesn’t use USB C and I don’t care about ANC, so I went with these.
- Keyboard
- Keychron V4 as the base board. It has QMK and hotswap for a great price. I got it instead of the Q4, since (1) it’s cheaper with a plastic chassis instead of aluminum and (2) it’s lighter and I do a good bit of travelling.
- I waffle between preferring Gateron Silent Black Ink switches or Durock T1 switches, both of which are fantastic.
- For keycaps, I have the “Smoke Cloud” set from YMDK
other
- I switch between my Casio 1200-WH (a great watch) and my PineTime (also a great watch) depending on how I’m feeling. I’d probably be more often using the PineTime if it had better iOS support.
- PinePower and PinePower Desktop. The portable PinePower is especially neat as an international traveller since it comes with international adapters.
- I use a USB-C dock to connect all my stuff to my laptop. I bought it at Walmart, I think, and it’s from their brand of computer peripherals, “onn”. I don’t have it with me as I write this, or I’d find the exact details.
Conclusion
Well, that may or may not be everything. It’s kinda hard to put together an exhaustive list. But maybe it’ll give you some ideas.
Enjoy!