Software I use, newsletters I read.

I get asked a lot about the things I use to build software and stay productive. Here’s a big list of all of my favorite stuff.

Workstation

  • 14” MacBook Pro, M2 Max, 64GB RAM (2023)

    I was using a 13” 16GB M1 MacBook Pro earlier. Extra RAM and more CPU cores are a game changer for me. I’m able to run more apps at once without worrying about performance.

  • LG UltraWide 34WK95U-W

    34” display with 5120x2160 resolution and 21:9 aspect ratio. It has a Thunderbolt port, so I can connect it to my MacBook with a single cable for power and display. I love the extra horizontal space for working with 2 windows side-by-side.

  • Logitech Ergo K860

    Switched from the Apple Magic Keyboard to the Logitech Ergo K860 due to its ergonomic design. Its split layout, cushioned wrist rest, and negative tilt significantly reduced wrist strain and improved typing comfort during long coding sessions.

  • Logitech MX Vertical

    Recently upgraded from the Logitech MX Master 3 to the Logitech MX Vertical for its ergonomic design. The vertical orientation helps reduce wrist strain and promotes a more natural hand position, providing greater comfort during extended periods of work.

Development tools

  • Visual Studio Code

    After using WebStorm for nearly ten years, I made the switch to VS Code and I’m really enjoying it. It’s quicker and offers a broader range of extensions.

  • iTerm2

    Honestly, I’m not using it to its full potential, but the features I prefer over the default Terminal.app include: improved autocomplete, enhanced mouse support for text selection, superior search functionality, and a larger scrollback buffer.

  • CleanShot X

    After trying many different screenshot tools, this is the only one that meets all of my needs. It struck me with beautiful annotation tools, auto-scroll screenshots, and decent screen recording features.

Productivity

  • AI-powered coding tools (Claude Code, Aider.chat, GitHub Copilot Agent)

    I'm always exploring the cutting-edge in AI coding assistants. My current favorites include Claude Code, Aider.chat programming, and GitHub Copilot (Agent mode). This space evolves rapidly, so the list is always changing.

  • TypingMind

    I value TypingMind for providing a unified interface to access all LLMs and quickly switch between them. It lets me save prompts, organize projects, create agents, and maintain a structured workflow for all my AI interactions.

  • DevUtils

    This is a swiss army knife for developers. It can convert JSON to CSV, decode Base64, JWT, URLs, diff text, generate Lorem Ipsum, and much more.

  • Setapp

    Other productivity apps from Setapp subscription not mentioned above are: Bartender, iStats Menus, Paletro, CleanMyMac X, Prizmo, Sip.

Newsletters

  • ByteByteGo

    It covers interesting bits of software architecture and distributed systems. I like how they explain complex topics in a simple way.

  • Last Week in AWS

    Since I work with AWS every day, it helps to stay up to date with the latest releases through insightful commentary.

  • Node Weekly

    Lately I rarely find useful news there, but I still keep it for occasional gems.

  • Postgres Weekly

    I’ve started using Postgres not so long ago, so this newsletter is an invaluable source of knowledge for me at the moment.

  • The Pragmatic Engineer

    Occasionally I find an interesting read there on the inner workings of software engineering in some well-known companies.

  • Tech Radar

    Published quarterly, it is always filled with dozens of new tools, techniques, frameworks and ideas to explore.

  • weekly.tf

    I’m a big fan of Terraform and I find insightful articles, novel tools and latest best practice in this newsletter.

  • TypeScript Weekly

    TypeScript releases are pretty technical, so I am always on a lookout for good follow-up articles in this newsletter.