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diff --git a/source/blog/2022/things-i-use/index.md b/source/blog/2022/things-i-use/index.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2f4a2bc --- /dev/null +++ b/source/blog/2022/things-i-use/index.md @@ -0,0 +1,156 @@ +--- +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. + |