Today’s post marks a unique departure in a few key ways. Firstly, it will serve a dual purpose as both a regular post and a permanent page on the site. This page will be regularly updated, perhaps on a monthly basis, with tools, apps, and resources that I’ve found valuable or that I’m actively advocating for.
Among the selections, I’ve chosen to include well-known options like Microsoft Office. This decision was influenced by the variations in versions and the compelling value proposition between cloud subscriptions and perpetual licenses.
Another distinction in this post will be the way I categorize the tools and technologies I’m using. In this post, I’ll detail what I utilize as part of my daily, weekly, monthly, and annual routines and workflows. Conversely, the permanent page will provide insight into where each tool or resource fits into my overall technology stack. This includes categories such as hardware, operating systems, utilities, development tools, languages, and more. Speaking of advocating, I am an open source user and advocate. The commercial use of software certainly has its place and value but my heart goes out to those that share their best work for the betterment of humankind and so much of what we do is based on our standing on the shoulders of giants.
I’m eager to engage with you, the readers, on this topic. Please share what you’re using as your daily drivers, and let’s foster a conversation around the tools that empower our work and creativity.
Operating Systems and Environments:
- Linux Distributions: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS server, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS desktop, and Mint 21.2 are integral to my development and server management. I use Linux as my preferred OS for most things but I am a big fan of FreeBSD and have used it for over 20 years.
- Windows: Windows 11 and Windows 10 provide the core operating systems for my tasks that require corporate compatibility standards, offering stability with various applications.
- Raspberry Pi OS: Utilized in conjunction with Raspberry PI 4b for embedded systems and IoT projects.
- Mac OS Catalina: Essential for specific development tasks and creative workflows and because all my Macs are Intel based. I have to do something about that soon, the Apple silicon is amazing for machine learning and creative applications.
- Mobile Platforms: Android 13 and iOS 16 for mobile development and daily communication.
Productivity and Collaboration Tools:
- Microsoft 365: A comprehensive suite for document creation, collaboration, and management.
- WordPress 6.22: Powers my blog and website, enabling seamless content management.
- Google Workspace: Facilitates collaboration through tools like Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
- Outlook & Thunderbird: My go-to email clients for professional correspondence.
- Jira 7.5.4 & Trello 2.12: Project management tools that streamline my workflow and team collaboration.
- Google Voice & Obi202 VOIP: Essential for communication and virtual meetings.
Development Tools and Languages:
- IDEs and Compilers: G++ 13.1 for C++ development. VS Code has been winning for a while as an editor that is an IDE that covers alot of ground as an entire environment.
- Languages: PHP 8.2, Python 3.11, and R 4.2 are my primary programming languages for various projects.
- Database Management: MySQL 8.1, coupled with Apache HTTP 2.4, forms the backbone of my web applications.
- Version Control: GitHub for code repository management and collaboration.
Social Media and Networking:
- X (formerly Twitter) & LinkedIn: Key platforms for professional networking and information sharing.
Multimedia and Utilities:
- Browsers: Chrome 114 and Firefox 102 ESR for web browsing and testing.
- Multimedia Tools: VLC for media playback, and Icecast for streaming.
- Hardware and Storage: Asustor 3304T with ADM 4.2.3 for network storage and backup.
Emerging Technologies and APIs:
- OpenAI API 3.1 & Chat GPT-4: Leveraged for AI-driven projects and natural language processing. By the way, everything is an AI-driven project in 2023.
- Streamlit 1.24: Utilized for creating web apps to showcase data science projects.
This post is supplemented by an ongoing page you can find that I will update routinely.