Skip to content

Useful Software and Sites

This list is very much a work in progress...

System Utilities (I run Arch Linux, many of these tools are cross-platform though)

  • Chrome: a really nice browser
  • Guake: a configurable terminal that overlays your screen when you hit a certain key
  • zsh with oh-my-zsh: a better shell than bash (list of features here)
  • Dvorak: a superior keyboard layout to QWERTY that optimizes the location of every letter for speed and comfort
  • AutoKey: a text expander for Linux that lets you type abbreviations to expand to words
    • I start all of my abbreviations with a semicolon so they aren't confused with other words
    • This is very useful for emails and job applications. I have a ";addr" abbreviation that expands to my address, and a ";lin" that expands to my LinkedIn URL, etc
  • trizen: a simple AUR package manager (only relevant for Arch Linux users)
  • LastPass: keeps track of your passwords easily for free
    • This syncs over the internet. If that bothers you and you prefer a FOSS solution, try KeePass. However, you'll need to sync between your devices yourself
  • GRUB2: now known just as GRUB, it is the best bootloader

Software Development

  • JetBrains IDEs: very good IDEs for a variety of languages (particularly useful for languages with lots of libraries like Java, C#, etc)
  • These are free for students
  • Visual Studio Code: open source text editor with a boatload of features
  • GitLab: like GitHub, but with more features (like free private repos!)
  • Jekyll: awesome static site generator with lots of themes, powered by Markdown
  • MkDocs: markdown-powered wiki/documentation tool that powers this site
  • Netlify: free and super easy static site hosting with nice features like SSL and auto-update from git repositories
  • Formspree: free form submission handling for static sites

Learning

  • Quizlet: flashcard website with many pre-made sets
  • Memrise: similar to Quizlet, but powered by spaced repetition