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authorPrefetch2022-10-14 23:25:28 +0200
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+---
+title: "Things I use and recommend"
+date: 2022-09-28
+layout: "blog"
+toc: true
+---
+
+I use a lot of software, most of it free and open-source.
+I've tried to use much more, but it didn't always go so well,
+so I've made a list of the programs I like enough to recommend.
+Such a list has been on my website for a long time already;
+this is its official publication.
+
+Last updated on 2022-09-28.
+
+
+## General
+* [Neovim](https://neovim.io/):
+ A modernized fork of the venerable [Vim](https://www.vim.org/) text editor.
+* [restic](https://restic.net/):
+ Good command-line backup program.
+ You'll need to provide your own storage.
+* [Syncthing](https://syncthing.net/):
+ Synchronizes folders across devices. Decentralized and easy to set up.
+
+
+## Desktop
+* [Arch Linux](https://www.archlinux.org/):
+ The distribution that, for me, delivers the best cost-benefit ratio.
+ I'm not a big fan of [systemd](https://freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/systemd/)
+ or [glibc](https://www.gnu.org/software/libc/),
+ but the fantastic package manager and the huge repositories
+ make Arch Linux unbeatable for working techies' day-to-day computing.
+* [i3](https://i3wm.org/) and [Sway](https://swaywm.org/):
+ Lightweight window managers.
+ Once you go tiling, you can never go back.
+* [Firefox](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/):
+ Web browsers suck.
+ This ones sucks the least, and is developed by Mozilla,
+ who still seem to care about privacy and security, and
+ who created the [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/) language.
+ Firefox has all the necessary modern features,
+ and provides an excellent curated set of add-ons.
+ + [uBlock Origin](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/):
+ The best adblocker out there. It's free *and* open-source!
+ + [HTTPS Everywhere](https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere):
+ In today's world, this should be included in all browsers.
+ The fact that it's rule-based is unfortunate, but hey, it works.
+* [Thunderbird](https://www.thunderbird.net/):
+ Email clients suck, just like email itself.
+ This one just sucks less, since it's also made by Mozilla.
+* [Alacritty](https://github.com/alacritty/alacritty):
+ Simple, lightning-fast terminal emulator with
+ extra goodies like 24-bit colours
+ and live configuration reloading.
+* [pass](https://www.passwordstore.org/):
+ Password manager for techies.
+ It's simple, secure, and extensible.
+ However, I don't think I'll ever understand how to properly manage [GnuPG](https://gnupg.org/) keys,
+ so I gave up and switched to KeePassXC instead.
+* [KeePassXC](https://keepassxc.org/):
+ User-friendly open-source password manager.
+ It stores everything in a local encrypted database file,
+ which is your responsibility to back up and sync.
+* [EasyEffects](https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects):
+ Real-time audio effects on Linux.
+ I use it to tweak my headphones' response according to the awesome
+ [AutoEQ](https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq) project's data.
+* [Anki](https://ankiweb.net/about):
+ Flashcard studying software,
+ with a big [library](https://ankiweb.net/shared/decks/) of community-made decks.
+ Frankly it's not very user-friendly, but it does the job.
+* [Veusz](https://veusz.github.io/):
+ Fantastic plotting software,
+ and one of the most underrated open-source tools that I know of.
+ It gives beautiful plots, can handle *huge* data files, and,
+ because its files are just plain Python,
+ you can automatically generate plots with a bit of scripting.
+* [KLayout](https://klayout.de/):
+ Open-source chip layout editor, with advanced scripting functionality.
+ I would've liked some more keyboard shortcuts by default,
+ but at least I can make my own.
+
+
+## Server
+* [Alpine Linux](https://alpinelinux.org/):
+ Minimalist distribution powered by
+ [BusyBox](https://www.busybox.net/) and [musl](https://musl.libc.org/).
+ It has a large-enough selection of both cutting-edge
+ and stable packages to be practical.
+* [nginx](https://nginx.org/):
+ Fast, secure and popular HTTP server,
+ and a breeze to set up.
+* [OpenSMTPD](https://opensmtpd.org/):
+ Email SMTP server by the venerable [OpenBSD](https://www.openbsd.org/) project,
+ and the only one of its kind that nails the setup experience.
+* [Dovecot](https://dovecot.org/):
+ One of the, if not *the* most popular email IMAP server.
+ And for good reason: it's fast, secure, and a pleasure to set up.
+* [Rspamd](https://www.rspamd.com/):
+ Spam filter for email.
+ To be honest, I haven't looked into this one much.
+ It has lots of advanced features that I barely understand,
+ but still seems to be the most modern and usable spam filter out there.
+* [Zola](https://www.getzola.org/):
+ Straightforward static site generator written in Rust.
+ The only thing it's missing is some kind of LaTeX formula support,
+ which is why I migrated to Hugo.
+* [Hugo](https://gohugo.io/):
+ Another good static site generator, although not quite as nice as Zola in my opinion,
+ since Hugo's template language is a bit messed up. It still works well though.
+* [cgit](https://git.zx2c4.com/cgit/about/):
+ JavaScript-free online Git frontend,
+ perfect for private setups.
+ If you need something more advanced like user accounts,
+ [Gitea](https://gitea.io) is a good choice too.
+* [acme.sh](https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh):
+ Straightforward tool to manage TLS certificates
+ issued by [Let's Encrypt](https://letsencrypt.org/).
+
+
+## Android
+* [LineageOS](https://lineageos.org/):
+ Had enough of vendor-specific crap in Android?
+ This open-source distribution has good hardware support
+ and enough momentum to be the *de facto* standard version
+ of Android for tinkerers.
+* [microG](https://microg.org/):
+ Takes the Google out of Android
+ by reimplementing proprietary libraries.
+ It works very well; the only problem I've experienced is
+ that push notifications take longer to arrive than usual.
+ Installation is tricky, but they offer
+ a [custom LineageOS](https://lineage.microg.org/) to make it easy.
+* [AdAway](https://adaway.org/):
+ Effective system-wide adblocker
+ that should work for all your apps.
+* [Aegis](https://getaegis.app/):
+ Secure open-source 2FA authenticator app.
+* [Insular](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.oasisfeng.island.fdroid/):
+ Isolates untrusted apps in an Android Work Profile.
+* [AnkiDroid](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.ichi2.anki/):
+ Good mobile frontend for [Anki](https://ankiweb.net/about).
+
+
+## Services
+* [Gandi](https://www.gandi.net/):
+ European domain registrar with the motto
+ "No bullshit since 1999". They provide an honest,
+ high-quality service at a competitive price.
+ This statement is not sponsored.
+* [Let's Encrypt](https://letsencrypt.org/):
+ Provides free TLS encryption certificates
+ to anybody who asks politely, thereby making
+ online security more accessible for small sites like this one.
+