My Defaults and Software EDC - Windows edition!
A couple of months ago, I posted My Defaults and My Software EDC, but that was when I was in an Apple-only ecosystem. Since then, I’ve bought my first PC in 15 years that I love and adore and use every day. There’s no way I’m going to ditch my MacBook Air for something that has Windows on it (Apple machines are of better quality and I love macOS on laptops), but I think on desktop, Windows is working actually really, really well.
Let’s start with the defaults first, and then I’m going to provide you with some more content regarding my software EDC because that has to change a lot since I’m on Windows more than I’m on macOS.
📨 Mail Client: I use Fastmail for personal use and Gmail for work. Therefore, on iOS, I use mail.app + Gmail, on macOS I use browsers only, and on Windows, I use a browser only too.
📮 Mail Server: Fastmail for personal use, Google for Work.
📝 Notes: Obsidian and Tot for quick notes, but I’m moving my quick notes more and more to…
✅ To-Do: Microsoft To Do! It’s quick, easy, multi-platform, and costs nothing. It isn’t Things, but it works pretty well for me. For work, I’m using Akiflow because it combines tasks with a calendar.
📷 iPhone Photo Shooting: Camera.app, but I’m using Canon G5X Mark II and Sony A6000 for photography more.
🟦 Photo Management: Lightroom + Photos in iCloud.
📆 Calendar: Calendar on iOS, Akiflow on Windows and Mac.
📁 Cloud File Storage: iCloud + Backblaze B2.
📖 RSS: FreshRSS + Reeder on iOS/Mac and browser/Fluent Reader for Windows. I’m trying to use Fluent Reader, but my brain doesn’t work the way Fluent Reader works, so I’m using the iPhone more for RSS.
🙍🏻♂️ Contacts: Contacts.
🌐 Browser: Arc isn’t yet available for Windows (at least for me), so I’m using Arc Search on iOS, and then Microsoft Edge for personal browsing on macOS + Windows and Chrome for work.
💬 Chat: Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp, Slack.
🔖 Bookmarks: Browser.
📑 Read It Later: Good Links, but since it’s not on Windows, I’m going to have to find some alternatives (I’m not really reading the stuff I’m putting there, so maybe I just shouldn’t bother).
📜 Word Processing: Obsidian.
🤖 Mastodon: Ivory on Apple-things and browser on Windows.
📖 Blog: micro.blog and Day One.
📈 Spreadsheets: Google Thing.
📊 Presentations: Google Thing.
🛒 Shopping Lists: My wife and I just send each other messages about what to get.
💰 Budgeting and Personal Finance: YNAB.
🎵 Music: Spotify (but I do have an Apple Music sub that’s just there).
🎤 Podcasts: Pocket Casts.
🎮 Gaming: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and Anbernic RG35XX.
🔐 Password Management: 1Password.
👨🏻💻 Terminal: WebSSH on iOS/macOS and Hyper on Windows.
Now onto my software EDC:
Let’s start with the first custom thing here because the rest of it isn’t interesting.
- qbittorent - for my Linux-distribution-downloading needs.
- 1Password.
- Hyper - my terminal of choice for Windows.
- Edge - personal browser.
- Obsidian.
- Sticky Notes - I find myself using them sometimes, so I find it handy to have them there.
- Apple Music.
- Spotify.
- Pocket Casts.
- Microsoft To Do.
- Apple TV app - no idea why but hey, it’s here.
- Amazon Prime Video - I haven’t ever used it, but I thought to myself why not.
- Raindrop - oh, that’s the app I’m trying for bookmarks and read later! I’m not using it, though, not at all.
- Fluent Reader - RSS reader with FreshRSS support.
- Element - Not really using that, but if I ever want to, it’s here.
- Discord - some friends are using that and the game I’m playing (Torn) moved from Torn’s chat onto Discord.
- Signal.
- Telegram.
- WhatsApp.
- Parsify is a calculator that works just like Soulver on macOS worked, I love it.
- Chatbox is my ChatGPT app of choice, works perfectly fine - better than any apps I’ve found on macOS!
- Slack.
- Akiflow.
- Gmail somehow turned into an app.
- Chrome.
- RePOS App (the thing I’m working on in my day job).
- Twitch streaming app (I’m not streaming, yet!).
- Epic Games Launcher.
- Steam Launcher.
- Minecraft Launcher.
- Xbox App.
The things that you weren’t able to see but they are here:
- Flameshot for screenshots - I wish there was Cleanshot X for Windows, but there isn’t, so I’m using that instead.
- Adobe Creative Cloud - Lightroom + Photoshop. I’ve got it, I’m using it most days, didn’t bother to put it in the taskbar, though.
- NextDNS is always open and in use.
- Hurl is the app I’m using to always give me an option to pick which browser I should use. As I said, I’m using Chrome for Work and Edge for personal, so whenever I’m opening a link on Slack or Telegram, it asks me which browser should it be opened with. I think there’s a way to make it automatic to open links from Slack always with Chrome, but I’m not bothered by that (sometimes I’m using Edge for links from Slack, so let’s say this is a desired behavior).
- Tailscale is my VPN of choice to connect with all of my different servers.
That’s it - my defaults and EDC in one long entry. I hope that makes it easier for people to see what apps they could use, especially when they’re on Windows. If you have any questions or recommendations, just shout!
One day I’m gonna come back with my defaults and my software EDC now that I’m on Windows because being on Mac is easy - you just use Apple stuff or the same apps that are on Mac and on iOS but adding Windows to the mix - that makes things interesting!
New lamp, looks pretty!
Finally got photos from last trip developed so… Please allow me to show you some more pics!
I want an android phone 🤷🏻♂️
Apple Music works better on Windows than it works on Mac.
Windows might make me more open to giving Android another try, but there’s no comparable alternative to the Apple Watch on Android, which is a downside (especially since I’m now actively engaged in sports and rely on these fitness tracking features).
Windows on my PC is working great. I love that I am able to play games in my spare time, but what I love the most is that I’ve got LOTS and LOTS of CPU and RAM to use. I can open every single thing I want to have opened, and there are literally zero issues. In terms of a mental shift, I believe that Windows/PC is definitely going to be THE OS to use on the desktop, but there is no way I might use a Windows laptop. Therefore, I think that Windows-desktop-PC and Mac-laptop-mobile is the way to go for me now.
Since becoming a Windows user I’m trying to move from Apple-only apps to cross-platform and it’s actually going pretty well? The only thing I’m seriously missing is Things but Microsoft Todo (especially being free!) is actually a pretty good alternative to Things.
If your device doesn’t have usb-c port for charging I don’t want it
I’m using Spotify after a full year of Apple Music. I do have a set of pretty good headphones to listen to good quality music but Spotify recommendations are hard to beat. They’re just too good to pass on. I do romance with Apple Music still, though. On the other hand it has quality that’s just unavailable on Spotify and I hear it. 😤
He ended his talk with a slide showing a huge QR code, which got a laugh.
“Anybody holding up a camera?” Joyce asked. “Who’s gonna [photograph] the QR code from the NSA guy?”
Bought some colorful binders for MTG cards and seems like I’ve got a nice backdrop for photos now? These are not great obviously but it’s a good start and with some magic called postproduction they might look good!
ADHD Traits May Have Evolved to Provide Foraging Advantages, Study Says : ScienceAlert
This is what I’m gonna tell myself everyday to feel better oh look squirrel!
Pretty sure that’s not a dog but it’s all god YouTube, liked it anyways.
That’s just my first day on Windows PC BUT… it works fine? I guess there’s not much that annoyed me or drastically changed the way I think/work? It definitely feels weird to work on something that makes noise (quiet one, but noise nonetheless). Also feels weird to do everything I did on Mac and then see that I’m using only 25% of CPU and 30% of RAM. My RAM usage currently is higher than my Mac had RAM available. Overall, after one day - I’m glad I pulled the trigger.
My 2023 in songs. I have to admit I didn’t know that I’m listening to so much hip-hop.
Thought about doing Pawel.69 but it’s gonna be easier at work if I’m not gonna have the ~sex number~ in my username.
Signal » Blog » Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames
Huh their take is actually very, very good. Usernames just as a way to contact someone without phone number and you can change your username and then nobody can link it to your phone number? Brilliant.
Yay! Signal (beta) added usernames! Finally.
Is there a #Beluga alternative? I like how it works (and how it’s designed) but it’s only one man thing and I’m not 100% sure it’s here to stay. (Also the app is so-so without support for proper desktop, etc)
It’s going to be refreshing to use a device without a battery. Counting days till it’s here! Wednesday can’t come soon enough.
Because new PC is coming on Wednesday, today is a day I’m gonna move shit around in the office to make space for it. This also means that one of the consoles (probably Xbox) is making its way back to the living room. PS5 and PC will be in the office while Nintendo Switch with Xbox will be in the living room. Pretty fire setup I think. I’m gonna play more PS5 games I think (and if I want to play Xbox games they might be available on PC) so it makes sense to leave it in the office where I can’t bother wife with occupying a TV.
The Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died in jail, the country’s prison service has said, in what is likely to be seen as a political assassination attributable to Vladimir Putin.Source: Russian activist and Putin critic Alexei Navalny dies in prison | Alexei Navalny | The Guardian
I’m not saying it wasn’t expected but it was unexpected.
Remember when I said I’m gonna buy this PC in a week? It’s gonna be here next Wednesday. 😅