it's too loud (& how i quiet it)
when aesthetics and requirements converge
for neurodivergent types, the world is most frequently too loud. i have found over the years that certain paradigms act as assistive devices for my use of computers. as the world, and computing, has grown in complexity, i have often felt left behind by my inability to parse newer ways of working with computers. below, i try to document some tools that have really helped me build a cozy home in my workstations, and i hope it helps someone else.
mac
mac is where i do my most corporate of work tasks. due to the deep ecosystem integration (and, burn me at the stake, the budding convenience of apple intelligence), i find it easiest to do things such as video calls, emails, and basic desktop tasks on this platform.
note: because i use this primarily as a light-use system, i don't use robust window management. if i did, i would use yabai and skhd.
| tool | category |
|---|---|
| sketchybar | status bar |
| ubersicht | desktop widgets |
| raycast | launcher |
| mission control | window management |
| oh-my-zsh | shell framework |
windows
i don't often work in windows; so i've included window management tools just because i would use them if i did.
| tool | category |
|---|---|
| komorebi | window manager |
| whkd | hotkey daemon |
| yasb | status bar |
| powertoys | system utilities |
| oh-my-posh | shell prompt |
nixos
nixos has often been my most comfortable home. nixos uses a very specific paradigm, and once you wrap your brain around it (a challenge, at least for me), a very useful paradigm. nixos is a declarative linux operating system, and you can compose it in a similar fashion to a docker container. this results in a system you can truly tailor to your requirements, filter out noise, and back up via git easily. i never need to fear breaking this system, as i can always revert versions or restore from an entirely clean install.
| tool | category |
|---|---|
| fuzzel | application launcher |
| gnome-keyring | credential storage |
| hyfetch | system info with pride flags |
| mako | notification daemon |
| niri | wayland compositor, window manager |
| waybar | wayland status bar |
| wofi | application launcher |
cross-platform
a lot of the tooling i use is cross-platform, and generally are things that improve my workflow in a terminal. i try to stay away from too many changes to a base posix environment, because i sometimes work on remote hosts that aren't mine. the less change i make to my mental models in this sense, the better. if you're a couple ssh hops deep working through a tunnel on an unfamiliar host, the more of your muscle memory is portable and applies to that system, the better.
| tool | category |
|---|---|
| alacritty | terminal emulator |
| bat | cat replacement |
| deskflow | kvm software |
| eza | ls replacement |
| fastfetch | system info |
| firefox | web browser |
| gimp | image editor |
| github-desktop | git client |
| kitty | terminal emulator |
| mpv | media player |
| neovim | text editor |
| rustdesk | remote desktop |
| steam | gaming platform |
special mentions
i have found warp to be a tremendous aid during routine terminal-based tasks. there are a lot of cautions to be had regarding use of ai, and ethical concerns as well. without covering all of that ground in a short blog post, i will say that i have found this very helpful when my brain is having a hard time pulling up dusty skillsets or mental models for arcane configuration files. it's also good for menial tasks that are easily inspectable - it helped me generate the markdown syntax for this post.
for firefox, i have found vimium, no script and privacy badger invaluable extensions. they're available in the native extension store. vimium sets vim-style keybindings for your browsing experience, and the other two help prevent undesired code execution and loud elements during browsing.