4 min read

Uses

A list of the hardware, software, and services I use regularly.

Hardware

  • MacBook Pro (16-inch, M3 Pro, 18GB RAM, 512GB SSD): my daily driver
  • iPhone 15 Pro (128GB)
  • Apple Watch (S11): fitness tracking, notifications and health monitoring
  • iPad Air (M2): for note-taking, light gaming and sketching
  • Apple Pencil Pro
  • AirPods Pro (2nd gen): for listening to music on the go
  • Magic Mouse (USB-C): i know what you’re going to say,,,, but I don’t use a mouse often enough to complain about Magic Mouse (+ its battery lasts)
  • Magic Keyboard (USB-C, Touch ID): would love it even more if it had backlight!
  • EarPods (USB-C)
  • AOC 32G2WG8 Monitor (1080p, 240Hz, 32-inch): i’ve had this for sooo long, and because i’m so used to Apple displays, it now feels meh (quality-wise)

yes, I’m an Apple sheep hehe


Software

Browser & Extensions

  • Safari: my browser of choice, iCloud sync is great and it just works
  • Wipr 2: lightweight content blocker
  • Sink It: better Reddit experience
  • SponsorBlock: skips sponsored segments on YouTube videos
  • Userscripts: userscript manager
  • Return YouTube Dislike: shows YouTube dislike counts
  • Noir: forces dark mode on websites that don’t support it
  • Vinegar: replaces YouTube’s player with a mininal HTML <video> tag
  • Vimari: vim bindings on safari

Communication

  • Signal: open-source encrypted messaging app
  • Element: Matrix-based messaging client
  • Vesktop: custom Discord client (unfortunately most of my peers still use Discord and refuse to switch)
  • WhatsApp: everyone I know IRL uses this, so I have to deal with it
  • iMessage: my favorite messaging app

Development

  • Ghostty: feature-rich terminal emulator
  • Neovim: highly extensible text editor of choice
  • UTM: lightweight, open-source virtual machine manager for Apple Silicon
  • Xcode: Apple’s IDE for macOS and iOS development
  • container: lightweight container runtime for macOS

Productivity

  • AeroSpace: my macOS tiling window manager
  • Spotlight: macOS’s native app launcher
  • Pages: Apple’s word processor
  • Keynote: Apple’s presentation software
  • Numbers: Apple’s spreadsheet app
  • System Color Picker: system-wide color picker for macOS
  • Apple Notes: it’s simple and syncs perfectly across my devices
  • Apple Reminders: same reason as Notes
  • Apple Calendar: same reason as Reminders
  • Actions: extends Apple Shortcuts with more actions
  • HazeOver: dims inactive windows to reduce distractions
  • Sketch: design tool

Media

Utilities

  • Apple Passwords: Apple’s built-in password manager that just works
  • Parcel: delivery tracking app
  • Rocket: emoji picker for macOS
  • Klack: satisfying key sounds
  • Cryptomator: open-source client-side file encryption
  • Keka: archive extractor for macOS
  • Maccy: clipboard manager (still not sure if this will stay in my workflow yet…)
  • Mole: simple Mac cleaner

(Programming) Languages

  • JavaScript: my first programming language, still my go-to for web development
  • TypeScript: typed superset of JavaScript that I use for most projects
  • Swift

System

  • Homebrew: package manager for macOS
  • Nix: purely functional package manager
  • nix-darwin: manage macOS system configuration using Nix
  • home-manager: manage user environment using Nix

Services

  • Codeberg: transparent and privacy-focused hosted Git (based on Forgejo)
  • Bunny: European content delivery network
  • Steam: world’s greatest gaming platform
  • SteamDB: Steam game database and analytics
  • bgp.tools: BGP routing information tool
  • git-pages: static website hosting