Software I use, gadgets I love, and other things I recommend.
I get asked a lot about the things I use to build software, stay productive, or buy to fool myself into thinking I’m being productive when I’m really just procrastinating. Here’s a big list of all of my favorite stuff.
Workstation
16” MacBook Pro, M1 Max, 32GB RAM (2022)
I was using an Intel-based 14” Asus running Ubuntu 22.04 prior to this and the difference is night and day. I’ve never heard the fans turn on a single time, even under the incredibly heavy loads I put it through with our various launch simulations nor I spend 10 hours trying to get my bluetooth driver to work after installing an update.
ThinkVision 27 inch Monitor - P27h-30
Perfect for high performers and multitaskers, the Lenovo ThinkVision P27h-30 Monitor is simply brilliant any which way you look at it. Its 27-inch 2560 x 1440 QHD resolution IPS display provides sharp, precise images with wide-viewing angles. Its 4-side borderless design gives you a sleek, large screen with an excellent contrast ratio. The ThinkVision P27h-30 makes for a dynamic, vibrant visual experience and offers 99% sRGB, 95% DCI-P3 and 99% BT.709; together with Avg. Delta E2 color accuracy.
Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
The sweet sound of better silence. The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are packed full of all the features you need for superior sound and premium quiet — including 11 customizable levels of noise cancellation with situational awareness for when you want to let the world in.
Herman Miller Aeron Chair
If I’m going to slouch in the worst ergonomic position imaginable all day, I might as well do it in an expensive chair.
Development tools
VIM
I don’t care if it’s missing all of the fancy IDE features everyone else relies on, VIM is still the best text editor ever made when working within a shell.
iTerm2
I’m honestly not even sure what features I get with this that aren’t just part of the macOS Terminal but it’s what I use.
Webstorm
WebStorm is an integrated development environment for JavaScript and related technologies. Like other JetBrains IDEs, it makes your development experience more enjoyable, automating routine work and helping you handle complex tasks with ease.
Design
Figma
We started using Figma as just a design tool but now it’s become our virtual whiteboard for the entire company. Never would have expected the collaboration features to be the real hook.
Productivity
Confluence Software
Confluence is your remote-friendly team workspace where knowledge and collaboration meet. In my daily basis I use Confluence for documentation and guides and Jira for project management.
DbDiagram
When it comes to architecting and database design you need a way to visualize your creations. A free, simple tool to draw ER diagrams by just writing code. Designed for developers and data analysts.
Postman
A great place to organize collection of APIs, setup Flows and automate test before launching your creations to production. an API platform for building and using APIs. Postman simplifies each step of the API lifecycle and streamlines collaboration so you can create better APIs—faster.
Pg Admin
pgAdmin is the most popular and feature rich Open Source administration and development platform for PostgreSQL, the most advanced Open Source database in the world.
MySql Workbench
MySQL Workbench is a unified visual tool for database architects, developers, and DBAs. MySQL Workbench provides data modeling, SQL development, and comprehensive administration tools for server configuration, user administration, backup, and much more. MySQL Workbench is available on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.