uses 🖥️
Last updated 11/14/2023
Hardware
iPhone SE (2020)
I migrated from Android to iOS around 2020. Being frugal (*cough broke), I always opted for cheap phones. Eventually, I tired of poor build quality and the lack of Android updates for these phones. I used a used iPhone 6 until the 2020 SE was announced, which was basically an upgraded 6. The price point was perfect, and I still love the "outdated" 6 form factor. I plan on using it until it gets too sluggish or stops receiving security updates.
MacBook Pro M2 14" (2023)
Quite possibly the biggest splurge of my life, but man, this thing rules. My last two laptops were a 2015 Dell XPS and a 2010 MacBook Pro, two great machines. I eventually threw Linux Mint on both of them, as Windows and macOS are unusable on older machines, macOS to a lesser extent. I also prefer Linux from a development perspective. But eventually, I stopped using both of these machines, as their internals couldn't even keep up with modern Linux. I'd been wanting a new MBP for a few years, as I'm interested in learning iOS development but could never justify it.
Desktop
My first foray into custom PC assembly (building lol). I bought everything in early, pre-pandemic 2020, before prices skyrocketed. The assembly process was stressful but enjoyable, and I really enjoyed the end product. Before having our first child, I did a lot of gaming: Warzone, Tarkov, Apex. I also dual booted Linux Mint and used it for development, which was incredible with my dual (sometimes triple) monitor setup. Unfortunately, with our recent move and pause on gaming, it's begun gathering dust as it resides in our basement office. I still think it will perform for over a decade as a Linux box at the very least.
Software
Professional Development
Professionally, I like to use React for new projects when possible. I think it has the best resources and support of the JavaScript libraries/frameworks. Similar to React, I love the amount of support around MUI; it's easy to use and makes it easy to create an attractive, accessible UI. GitLab has been a great experience for Git repo management and CI/CD. The text editor journey started with Emacs and ended with Atom in school. I started my career with Atom, moved to Sublime, and finally downloaded VS Code in 2018 or 2019 and haven't looked back. I'm not a huge fan of MSFT products, with the exception of VS Code. It does everything I want with few drawbacks.
Personal Development
I also use VS Code in my free time on personal projects. I've tried Fleet , but haven't installed it on my M2 yet. I've migrated all my static sites to Astro; I'm pretty obsessed with it. I've been using GitHub since I was introduced to it by a much better developer in school. I use Netlify to host all my static sites. The GitHub integration makes config and deployment trivial. I'll use the free tier as long as possible.
General Use
