/Uses
Things I use and like
Software
Laptop (Linux)
- Desktop Environment: SwayWM I like tiling managers because, well, I never realized this until I tried one, but it's really fucking annoying to open a new window and not be able to see the window you already had open. Sway is a good midpoint between "I'm only using this because it looks cool in desktop screenshots" and "you must write a 500 line config file to use this window manager".
- Status Bar: Waybar
- Colorscheme: I use Gruvbox dark everywhere I can. It's lower contrast (easier on my eyes), leans warm (easier on my eyes once again), and has enough color to not feel stuffy and boring.
- Text Editor: NeoVIM An acquired taste. I kind of hate standard keyboard shortcuts using modifier keys, so I was surprised at how quickly I took to VIM. I sort of wonder if the lack of modifier keys on most keybinds just makes it easier on my brain? I switched from VIM to NeoVIM bafter reading their respective policies on AI-assisted contributions. NeoVIM does not forbid AI-assisted contributions, but the policy it does have is very stern and straightforward, boiling down to "Look at the damn code, do not submit bad code, clean up after the stupid fucking robot", whereas VIM's is relatively wishy-washy.
- Launcher: Rofi
- Notifications: Dunst What I really like about Dunst is that it has an auto afk feature that holds your notifications for you. I prefer it to a notification center I have to click!
- Screenshots: Flameshot
- Mail: Mutt-Wizard (Automated configuration for Neomutt) Turns out I hate most mail clients because they're too visually busy. That or they're confusing with how you compose mail and make it very easy to doxx yourself which, Yikes! Neomutt does neither of these things. Mutt-wizard makes neomutt look more modern and simplifies support for multiple accounts. You can do these things without it, but it's a lot of effort when you can just throw a utility script at the problem.
- Calendar and Reminders: Remind paired with remind-caldav to sync to my self-hosted caldav server. I have it set up to where incoming events from the other software are given their own calendar/rem file which I then treat as read-only. I also use tkremind (bundled with Remind, but you likely need to install extra dependencies) when I want a visual frontend for my calendars. I like it because it was the easiest way I could find to both get reminders and hook it up to my caldav server. It will likely not be the easiest option for you, but it is a delightfully powerful application.
- Kitchen Timer: Tymr The absolute perfect timer app. Easy to set timers of completely arbitrary lengths on the fly, has a method to keep timers across computer reboots, sane defaults with a sound and notification when the timer completes... I have been looking for this app for years. I have no clue why every single other kitchen timer app, gui or cli, makes things so hard. Just let me input a time and maybe a message as quickly and easily as posible and then give me a notification and a sound when it finishes. It's not that hard.
- Notes: NB This is honestly basically just "it's some folders with markdown files in them". But it's a neat utility script, and the web clipper is stellar, I use it for archiving pretty much any website I only need the text off of now.
- Image Editor: Krita (or Photopea, though that's a web app. It opens some esoteric proprietary filetypes and has a good text tool)
- Sprite Editor: Aseprite
- Password Manager: KeepassXC
- Browser: Vivaldi
- Backups: Rsync
- Cross-device syncing: Syncthing
- Misc:
Browser Extensions (Chromium-based)
- Stylus (User Styles)
- Vimium (Vim-like keyboard shortcuts
- Auto Tab Discard (Tab hibernation that respects the Youtube video you've had open for 3 months)
- Read Aloud (Text to speech)
- SponsorBlock (Skip various types of nuisances in youtube videos)
- uBlock Origin (Ad blocker)
- Unhook (Youtube fixer)
- Yomitan (Quick dictionary lookups)
- Dark Reader (Automated dark mode themes. I use it allowlist style with every site I apply it to having its own settings.)
- User Scripts/Styles: