Uses
A list of hardware, software, and tools I use regularly, if not daily.
I change up things sometimes, so this page will serve as a living document and a place to point curious developers to when I get asked.
This is page is inspired by uses.tech by Wes Bos.
💻 Hardware
At home, I use a Macbook Pro with a docking setup. This works well for me because it offers me the option to be mobile when I’m traveling and a desktop experience when working from home.
- Apple Macbook Pro 15” 2017 - My daily driver and it is still going strong.
- Apple Magic Mouse 2 Space Gray - Not bad, neither great. I’m looking to replace it with a Logitech MX Master 3 in the future.
- Apple Magic Keyboard Space Gray - Only serves as a backup keyboard.
- Keychron K6 mechanical keyboard (Gateron Brown switches) - I really love this keyboard! The Geteron Brown switches have a great feel and sound to it.
- Razor Core X Thunderbolt 3 eGPU - Houses my Vega 64 which is always connected to my Macbook Pro when docked at home.
- Asus Strix Vega 64 GPU - The best GPU in terms of compatibility with macOS. I use it mainly for machine learning stuff and video editing.
- LG 38WK95C Ultrawide Curved Monitor - Great monitor with good color accuracy. It’s big enough to only need the one monitor on my desk.
- Samsung X5 Thunderbolt 3 External SSD - An extremely fast external SSD, even faster than my internal SSD.
- Samsung T5 External SSD - I have a few of these which I use to store my data and backups.
- Twelve South Curve Laptop Stand - I keep my Macbook Pro mainly in clamshell mode on the stand.
- Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Dock - Provides additional inputs when my Macbook Pro is docked at home.
- Elgato Stream Deck - I use this to automate my workflow.
- Blue Yeti X Microphone - Mainly for video calls, meetings, etc.
🧩 Software
I use dark themes for pretty much everything, including all IDEs, apps, and macOS. The software I choose to use needs to either add value to my workflow or serve a specific purpose.
Development & Design
- Xcode - Being primarily an iOS Developer, this is where I spend most of my time in.
- VS Code - The best text editor in my opinion with a rich set of features and third-party extensions.
- iTerm2 with Oh My Zsh - For everything terminal related. No terminal setup is complete without tmux. I also use the terminal as my git client.
- Docker with Docker Compose - Helps me keep my machine lean when developing applications locally.
- Postman - For all backend / API development. I’m also using Postman for stubbing services locally during development.
- VMware Fusion - I run Windows and other operating systems as virtual machines.
- Sketch - My preferred UI/UX design tool.
- Rotato - Great tool for creating slick mockups and videos of mobile and other apps.
Desktop Apps
- Keyboard Maestro - Great for automating just about anything on your Mac. I have several useful automations I use daily.
- 1Password - Another app I use multiple times a day. Everything private and sensitive goes right to 1Password.
- Things - My preferred task management tool. I use it mainly as an inbox in my GTD system.
- Notion - What I use to organize my life.
- DEVONthink - For collecting and organizing all my documents and research.
- Obsidian - I’m current looking at implementing the Zettelkasten method for my notes and research.
- Tweetbot - My twitter client of choice. I like being able to set up my timelines based on specific hashtags etc.
- Karabiner-Elements - To remap some of the keys on my Keychron K6 keyboard.
📱Other Gear
- iPad Pro 12.9 2018 - This thing is a beast and although it is not a laptop replacement for me, I have it set up for writing, coding and video editing.
- iPhone XS Max - Not just my phone but also use it as my main development device.