diff --git a/src/pages/uses.md b/src/pages/uses.md index 2b1d4746..8063a571 100755 --- a/src/pages/uses.md +++ b/src/pages/uses.md @@ -7,11 +7,11 @@ description: Details of the tools, software, and hardware powering my workflow.
-This page details some of the many things I use. Generally, my selections align with the philosophies [outlined by Gwern](https://gwern.net/choosing-software). Everything is outlined in my [dotfiles repository on GitHub](https://github.com/DeclanChidlow/dotfiles). +This page details some of the many things I use. Generally, my selections align with the philosophies [outlined by Gwern](https://gwern.net/choosing-software). All my configs are provided and somewhat documented in my [dotfiles repository on GitHub](https://github.com/DeclanChidlow/dotfiles). ## Laptop -Day to day I run a Framework Laptop 13. More information about my specific device and my experience with it is available in [my review](/posts/a-year-with-the-framework-laptop-13). +Day to day, I run a Framework Laptop 13. More information about my specific device and my experience with it is available in [my review](/posts/a-year-with-the-framework-laptop-13). It runs [NixOS](https://nixos.org), which I'm a huge fan of thanks to its declarative configuration. The ability to run things in an ephemeral shell with `nix-shell -p` is also core to my iterative development processes. @@ -19,9 +19,9 @@ It runs [NixOS](https://nixos.org), which I'm a huge fan of thanks to its declar I run [Sway](https://swaywm.org) as my window manager, [swaylock](https://github.com/swaywm/swaylock) as the screen locker, and [Yambar](https://codeberg.org/dnkl/yambar) as my status panel. I use [bemenu](https://github.com/Cloudef/bemenu) (a Wayland equivalent of dmenu) for launching programs and displaying my clipboard history (with the help of cliphist). My notifications are all handled by [Dunst](https://dunst-project.org). -[Kitty](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty) is my preferred terminal, pretty much exclusively for it's support for ligatures and images, and it's [SSH kitten](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/kittens/ssh). +[Kitty](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty) is my preferred terminal, pretty much exclusively for its support for ligatures and images and its [SSH kitten](https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/kittens/ssh). -All my file exploring is handled by the very excellent [Vifm](https://vifm.info). My configurations for it are quite extensive, and it works for me as a full stand-in for any 'conventional' file explorer such as Dolphin or Nautilus. +All my file exploring is handled by the very excellent [Vifm](https://vifm.info). My configurations for it are quite extensive, and it works for me as a full stand-in for any 'conventional' file explorer, such as Dolphin or Nautilus. ### Shell @@ -35,31 +35,42 @@ I spend a lot of my time in the terminal and, as such, have a pretty smooth conf - [Epiphany](https://apps.gnome.org/Epiphany): For testing WebKit compatibility. - [Tor](https://www.torproject.org): For the occasional dark web browsing session or increased anonymity. I don't use any extensions with Tor. -I use a [custom search engine wrapper I made](https://search.vale.rocks) to allow for easily switching engines and a few quality of life improvements conducive to my workflow. I also usually roll with these extensions: +I use a [custom search engine wrapper I made](https://search.vale.rocks) to allow for easily switching engines and a few quality-of-life improvements conducive to my workflow. I also usually roll with these extensions: - [Facebook Container](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/facebookcontainer) (Firefox only): Isolates Facebook from the rest of my browsing. -- [uBlock Origin](https://ublockorigin.com): Allows blocking adverts, content, fonts, scripts, etc. I switch this out for [the lite variant](https://github.com/uBlockOrigin/uBOL-home) on browsers that have dropped Manifestv2 support. +- [uBlock Origin](https://ublockorigin.com): Allows blocking adverts, content, fonts, scripts, etc. I switch this out for [the lite variant](https://github.com/uBlockOrigin/uBOL-home) on browsers that have dropped Manifest v2 support. - [SponsorBlock for YouTube](https://sponsor.ajay.app): Can filter out unwanted parts of YouTube videos. -- [Web Developer](https://chrispederick.com/work/web-developer): Adds tons of handy tools and checkers. -- [React Developer Tools](https://react.dev/learn/react-developer-tools): Makes developing with React so much nicer. +- [Fontanello](https://fontanello.app): Provides information about the typographic stylings of selected text. ### Development I've already touched on some of my preferred development tools, but I also have many more that I rely on for my front-end development needs. -As you'd expect, I use [Git](https://git-scm.com) for version control, with [GitHub](https://github.com) for hosting. In most situations, I use [Deno](https://deno.com) in place of Node for the performance benefit and convenient feature set, although I obviously keep around all the expected other tools for working on other projects. I'm also quite fond of using [httplz](https://github.com/thecoshman/http) as a basic http server during development. +As you'd expect, I use [Git](https://git-scm.com) for version control, with [GitHub](https://github.com) for hosting. In most situations, I use [Deno](https://deno.com)/[Bun](https://bun.sh/) in place of Node for the performance benefit and convenient feature set, although I obviously keep around all the expected other tools for working on other projects. I'm also quite fond of using [httplz](https://github.com/thecoshman/http) as a basic localhost server during development. Central to all my development is my editor, [Neovim](https://neovim.io). I've extensively customised it, and it serves as the bulk of my editing environment. It is setup alongside a long list of language servers and plugins that would best be assessed by consulting my [dotfiles](https://github.com/DeclanChidlow/dotfiles). I hope to eventually do a write-up of my specific configuration. ### Virtualisation -Sometimes I find myself needing to use Adobe's Creative Cloud or other software that simply refuses to run on Linux. For that reason I've got a Windows 11 virtual machine setup with KVM/[QEMU](https://www.qemu.org), [Spice USB Redirection](https://www.spice-space.org/usbredir.html), [Windows guest drivers](https://github.com/virtio-win/kvm-guest-drivers-windows), [libvirt](https://libvirt.org), [Virtual Machine Manager](https://virt-manager.org), and other things of that nature. It generally works and runs pretty smoothly. +Sometimes I find myself needing to use Adobe's Creative Cloud or other software that simply refuses to run on Linux. For that reason I've got a Windows 11 virtual machine setup with KVM/[QEMU](https://www.qemu.org), [Spice USB Redirection](https://www.spice-space.org/usbredir.html), [Windows guest drivers](https://github.com/virtio-win/kvm-guest-drivers-windows), [libvirt](https://libvirt.org), and other things of that nature, which I access via [Virtual Machine Manager](https://virt-manager.org). + +I 'enhance' (more like salvage) the Windows experience with [ExplorerPatcher](https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/wiki) and [Microsoft's PowerToys](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys). It generally works _alright_ for my needs. ### Miscellaneous I use [PrusaSlicer](https://www.prusa3d.com/page/prusaslicer_424) for my 3D printing slicing needs, dabble with 3D in [Blender](https://www.blender.org), and use [LibreOffice](https://www.libreoffice.org) for dealing with all the Microsoft Office file formats I have to deal with. Otherwise, I tend to use Neovim paired with [Pandoc](https://pandoc.org) for most document creation. -Video and loose audio files are run through [mpv](https://mpv.io), and [imv](https://sr.ht/~exec64/imv) serves as my image viewer. +My email/contact/calendar/task client is [Thunderbird](https://www.thunderbird.net). It isn't perfect, but is generally alright. Video and loose audio files are played through [mpv](https://mpv.io), and [imv](https://sr.ht/~exec64/imv) serves as my image viewer. + +--- + +## Hosting/Cloud + +I have some remote VPS', most notably one with [Hetzner](https://www.hetzner.com). My emails, contacts, calendar, and task lists are all handled by [Runbox](https://runbox.com), who allow me to hook into all my stuff with the various WebDAV systems. + +### Home Server + +I also maintain a home server for self-hosting a range of services, some of which are detailed on my [services page](/services). Much like my laptop, my home server runs NixOS. Everything it hosts is containerised with Docker. I use [Oxker](https://github.com/mrjackwills/oxker) as a nice TUI container manager, but it's all otherwise pretty boring, though that is probably a good thing for what should be a stable server. --- @@ -70,40 +81,31 @@ My current phone is a Google Pixel 7a. Nothing too special, but it's one of the I generally look for apps that I can customise, that are open source, and that adhere to Material You. The apps I've currently got installed include: - [Bluesky](https://bsky.social/about) -- [Breezy Weather](https://github.com/breezy-weather/breezy-weather) -- [Fossify Calculator](https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Calculator) +- [Breezy Weather](https://github.com/breezy-weather/breezy-weather): I use Breezy's weather and clock widget on my home screen. - [Pixel Camera](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.GoogleCamera): I bought my phone partly for the camera, and no third-party app comes close in processing, so with the stock Pixel Camera app I roll, albeit with revoked network permissions. -- [Fossify Clock](https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Clock) -- [Vanadium](https://grapheneos.org/features#vanadium): Vanadium is a privacy-focused fork of Chromium bundled with GrapheneOS. As much as I dislike playing into Chrome's market dominance, Firefox on Android is very poor security wise, plays badly with PWAs, and there isn't much point having two separate browser engines installed, among other issues. +- [Vanadium](https://grapheneos.org/features#vanadium): Vanadium is a privacy-focused fork of Chromium bundled with GrapheneOS. As much as I dislike playing into Chrome's market dominance, Firefox on Android is very poor security-wise, plays badly with PWAs, and there isn't much point having two separate browser engines installed, among other issues. - [FlorisBoard](https://florisboard.org): Excellent and very customisable FOSS keyboard. - [Glider](https://github.com/Mosc/Glider): Slick Hacker News client. - [Kvaesitso](https://kvaesitso.mm20.de): Feature-rich, search-focused launcher. -- [Google Messages](https://www.android.com/google-messages/): Google's SMS/MMS/RCS app. I'd prefer to use a FOSS alternative, but RCS is pretty locked down, so I'm left without alternatives. +- [Google Messages](https://www.android.com/google-messages/): Google's SMS/MMS/RCS app. I'd prefer to use a FOSS alternative, but RCS is pretty locked down, so I'm left without alternative. - [Moshidon](https://github.com/LucasGGamerM/moshidon): Wonderful Fediverse client with plenty of quality of life features. - [Neo Store](https://github.com/NeoApplications/Neo-Store): Modern, feature-rich F-Droid client -- [Fossify Notes](https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Notes) - [OsmAnd+](https://osmand.net): Navigation app based on OpenStreetMap. - [Phone by Google](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.dialer): Google's Phone app that I've chosen to use as it complements Google Messages. - [Google Photos](https://photos.google.com): Not my preference, but it's one of the only options with good editing capabilities. I keep it disconnected from the internet. - [phyphox](https://phyphox.org): Allows for doing all sorts of really cool things using the many sensors in phones. -- [Proton Calendar](https://proton.me/calendar) -- [Proton Drive](https://proton.me/drive) -- [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail) -- [Proton Pass](https://proton.me/pass) -- [Proton VPN](https://protonvpn.com) +- [Thunderbird](https://www.thunderbird.net): Email client connected to my Runbox email addresses. +- [DAVx5](https://www.davx5.com): CalDAV/CardDAV sync adapter to sync my contacts and calendar/tasks. +- [jtx Board](https://jtx.techbee.at): Provides a synchronised task list. +- [Fossify Calendar](https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Calendar): Provides a synchronised calendar. +- [Fossify Calculator](https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Calculator) +- [Fossify Clock](https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Clock) +- [Ares Dark](https://www.one4studio.com/apps/icon-packs/ares-series): Provides some very nice looking icons. +- [Proton Drive](https://proton.me/drive): Cloud storage that I use to quickly move files between my phone and computer. +- [Proton VPN](https://protonvpn.com): A free VPN for when I need it. - [Revolt](https://revolt.chat): Currently using the work-in-progress [native Android app](https://github.com/revoltchat/android). - [Signal](https://signal.org): Excellent chat app for when I need privacy. -- [Telegram](https://telegram.org): Not my preference but kept around for people who refuse to switch to Signal. -- [YouTube](https://youtube.com): I use YouTube with [Revanced](https://revanced.app) for quality of life improvements. -- [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com): I use YouTube Music on my phone for discovering new music. Much like the main app, I use it with [Revanced](https://revanced.app). - ---- - -## Home Server - -While I do have some remote VPS', I also maintain a home server for self-hosting a range of services, some of which are detailed on my [services page](https://vale.rocks/services). - -Much like my laptop, it runs NixOS. Everything it hosts is containerised with Docker. I use [Oxker](https://github.com/mrjackwills/oxker) as a nice TUI container manager, but it's all otherwise pretty boring, though that is probably a good thing for what should be a stable server. +- [YouTube](https://youtube.com) and [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com): Both patched with [Revanced](https://revanced.app) for quality of life improvements. --- @@ -113,13 +115,13 @@ I've got quite an extensive media library and an equally extensive process for s ### Images/Videos -I self host [Jellyfin](https://jellyfin.org) for all my movies and televisual needs. It's got an intuitive design and feels at home next to commercial streaming services. +I self-host [Jellyfin](https://jellyfin.org) for all my movies and televisual needs. It's got an intuitive design and feels at home next to commercial streaming services. -All my personal photos, home videos, etc are handled by a self-hosted deployment of [Immich](https://immich.app). It handles everything quite simply and works well. +All my personal photos, home videos, etc, are handled by a self-hosted deployment of [Immich](https://immich.app). It handles everything quite simply and works well. ### Music -Music libraries devolve into a mess with disturbing ease. I convert all my music to OPUS, process them with [beets](https://beets.io), then play them with [Music Player Dameon (MPD)](https://www.musicpd.org). I can then use a frontend of my choosing, such as [ncmpcpp](https://rybczak.net/ncmpcpp), and pair it with tools like [mpc](https://github.com/MusicPlayerDaemon/mpc) for assigning keybinds. +Music libraries devolve into a mess with disturbing ease. I convert all my music to OPUS, process them with [beets](https://beets.io), and then play them with [Music Player Daemon (MPD)](https://www.musicpd.org). I can then use a frontend of my choosing, such as [ncmpcpp](https://rybczak.net/ncmpcpp), and pair it with tools like [mpc](https://github.com/MusicPlayerDaemon/mpc) for assigning keybinds. ### Books diff --git a/src/posts/making-windows-usable.md b/src/posts/making-windows-usable.md deleted file mode 100644 index 529efa63..00000000 --- a/src/posts/making-windows-usable.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,62 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Making Windows "Usable" -description: My comprehensive tutorial dedicated to optimising and customising Windows 11 for a somewhat usable user experience. I detail beneficial programs, tips, and essential tweaks to setup Windows 11 as a more or less servicable computer environment, somewhat tailored to your preferences. -og_description: At least we're past Windows ME... -pub_time: 2023-10-31 -mod_time: 2023-11-22 -section: Tutorial -word_count: 1156 ---- - -I'm not quiet about my intense distaste for Microsoft's feeble attempt at an operating system. I find Windows to be a horrific amalgamation of legacy code, bloat, and hostile user practices that I avoid when possible. Unfortunately, it's not always possible to do so. - -This year, I found myself doing a Certificate IV in Graphic Design that required Adobe's Creative Cloud. As I'm sure you know, this software only runs on MacOS and Windows, which lead to quite the conundrum. Not willing to give up my beloved Arch Linux, I needed a way to get these programs running on my computer. - -Dual booting was an option, but one with hassle, so I chose to fire up a Windows virtual machine with a few tweaks. I ran the virtual machine with KVM/QEMU using Virt-Man but that isn't the focus of this article. This article is about the tweaks I used and how I made Windows vaguely usable. With any luck, you can achieve the same. - -## Installation - -While it may seem sensible to just jump straight into installation, there is a much better way to do it. You'll first need to [grab an ISO from Microsoft's website](https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11). If you are wondering why I recommend Windows 11 over 10, it's for a few reasons. I find 11 to be a bit more visually appealing, and it also gets more focus from Microsoft, giving it newer features, and making it more secure. Most of the issues that people blabber on about can be easily fixed with a few under the hood changes anyway. - -> [!WARNING] -> I recommend using a stock ISO from Microsoft rather than mods such as Tiny11. Their stripped back nature often leads to the breakage of certain features or incompatibility with programs. The closed source nature of most ISOs also leads to the potential for bundled malware. There are many ways to debloat Windows without causing undue harm that will be detailed further along in this article. - -Writing the ISO once you've got it is pretty easy. If you have a Windows install on hand that you can use to create the installation media, then I recommend writing the ISO with [Rufus](https://rufus.ie). If using another OS to write the media, then use whatever you're most used to. - -Once you've booted to the installer, I recommend setting the 'Time and Currency Format' to 'English (World)'. This will stop Windows from installing all of its default bloat, but will also break the Microsoft Store. Don't fret if you like the Microsoft Store, as this guide will tell you how to reenable it later. I then suggest selecting 'Windows 11 Pro' for the version. - -Once you've entered the Out of Box Experience (OOBE), there may be a decently long loading screen before you are greeted by a region error. Click 'skip' and then continue as you usually would. - -When it asks how you would like the device setup, select 'Set up for Work or School'. On the following screen, select 'Sign-in options' and then 'Domain join instead' which will allow you to create an offline account. Then continue on with setup and disable any telemetry toggles as you go. Once finished, your computer will boot into the desktop. - -If you want to use the Microsoft Store, then you will need to change your region. This can be done by opening settings and navigating to 'Time & language > Language & region'. Set the 'Country or Region' to your own. - -## Configuration - -In my opinion, Microsoft made some truly baffling decisions in Windows 11, so I'll run you through how to unbaffle your install with a couple of handy tools. After all, nothing says 'user-friendly' like needing a Swiss army knife to push a button. - -The first thing to do is figure out how you want to install applications. Most people will simply search the web for executables to install, but that is a rather insecure way to go about it. It's all too easy to click the wrong link and end up with a trojan. For that reason, I recommend using a command line tool such as [Scoop](https://scoop.sh) or [Chocolatey](https://chocolatey.org), especially if you're coming from Linux. Otherwise, you can use the Microsoft Store (if you reenabled it above) or just take the risk of downloading installers from the web. - -The second thing that I recommend fixing is the start menu. For this, I chose [ExplorerPatcher](https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/wiki) which brings back Windows 10's start menu with added customisability and adds the ability to change flyouts and other such things. It's very good. - -I also recommend installing using [Microsoft's PowerToys](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys). The full functionality is outside the scope of this article, but I use it to set my keyboard layout, rename files, organise my window layouts, resize images, and highlight my cursor for demonstrations. - -If you are a developer, then you can't go wrong with [DevToys](https://devtoys.app) which is an excellent little tool that you will constantly find yourself using. When developing, it can also prove useful to add things to the File Explorer context menu. [Shell](https://nilesoft.org) is a very good tool that does just that. - -It is also useful to have a good terminal on hand. Microsoft's [Windows Terminal](https://github.com/microsoft/terminal) is surprisingly good for what it is. It combines Powershell and Command Prompt, along with any Windows Subsystem for Linux compatibility layers you may have, into a cohesive, modern, and sleek interface. It's a genuinely good terminal, something I didn't expect from Microsoft when I first heard of it. - -If you are sick of Windows' bloat, then you can try a debloater script such as [Win Debloat Tools](https://github.com/LeDragoX/Win-Debloat-Tools). Keep in mind debloat scripts can also cause harm by removing dependencies of other programs, so I recommend proceeding with the utmost caution. - -A few other assorted tools and programs that work on Windows and that I can recommend include: - -- [NanaZip](https://github.com/M2Team/NanaZip) - a decent archive manager based on 7-Zip. -- [Firefox](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browsers) - an excellent browser. -- [VLC](https://www.videolan.org/vlc) - a FOSS media player that plays just about anything. -- [Thunderbird](https://www.thunderbird.net) - a very nice email client. -- [LibreOffice](https://www.libreoffice.org) - an excellent office suite. Check out [my guide on improving it](/posts/the-ultimate-libreoffice-setup). - -Now that you have your system more or less configured, I thought it may be worth touching on antivirus programs. There are plenty out there, and each is as user hostile as the last. For that reason, I recommend sticking with Windows' built in Microsoft Defender. It is pretty fast, generally stays out of your way, and won't harass you for your lunch money. It may be lacking in some features compared to paid options, but it is widely used and very well supported. It's just about the best option around. - ---- - -And there you have it, a few tweaks, and Windows went from 'Why do you insist on torturing me?' to 'I suppose you can stay'. I hope you found this little guide useful. Is there anything specific you do for your installs or something that I missed? If so, leave it in the comments!